An enchanted collection of rhyming stories told in a childlike fashion, Aesop the Storyteller by Leon Conrad is based on a book of fables written by Aesop. Conrad's storytelling style is whimsical and imaginative, bringing a fresh and playful twist to the classic tales. His use of rhythm and rhyme captivates readers, making the stories both engaging and easy to remember. This unique approach not only preserves the timeless morals of Aesop's fables but also infuses them with new life and charm. Aesop's original fables often explore themes such as honesty, wisdom, and the consequences of actions. They teach valuable lessons about human nature and morality through animals and mythical creatures. I was brought back to my childhood by Conrad's stories, which brought back memories of these fables from my childhood.

This was a fun and quick read. The story’s were good and easy to consume, and I’m a huge fan of poetry.

A fun and simple retelling of some infamous classic fables with no morals in sight, but told as rhyming verse. The morals in each story feels like they've been replaced with the character's circumstance.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Aesop the Storyteller is a fun, rhyming book filled with short stories told in a fun and engaging way. Each story is based on a fable by Aesop, and the author has put a fun spin on each one to make it memorable and interesting for the reader. This would be perfect for a KS2 class, and I can just imagine the faces of the children reading or listening to each short tale. The author also notes that for this book, it's not for anyone adult or child to show or tell how to interpret these tales and that is down to the reader/listener to take away what they get from them which I found interesting and refreshing too.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I knew some of Aesop's fables from picture books which were read to me either by my parents or by teachers at school. I remember some of them and I thought that this book will be a good way to learn new ones. I've to be honest, I did not enjoy this short book, it was actually boring but I might read the original book in the future.

This was an enjoyable read, the fables are new to me and one's I hadn't heard of before. Stories about animals helping each other, stories of hope, love, wisdom.

I like how they flowed, the wording works well in a sing song fashion. The fables sometimes repeat with the animals coming together at another time which is nice to read.

Will look out for more fables as I've really enjoyed this one!

I can definitely see this book hitting its goal of encouraging reading aloud, this is such a fun and engaging read and the style is sure to encourage reading out loud. The illustrations are beautiful and really add to the overall feel. I think you can tell that the author really put a lot of effort into making sure readers truly understand the book as they go without pushing any interpretations.

A lovely little book! It's always nice to revisit Aesop's fables and here the author does it in a charming way. I perhaps expected the tone to be a bit more adult as this definitely feels like a children's book. But that also gave it a kind of nostalgic quality I appreciated. I do wish more fables had been retold, for this is a very brief book and it felt like it was over too soon. The selection however is interesting and I liked that the author didn't add morals at the end of each fable, letting us find them for ourselves. The illustrations are nice and I loved the cute addition of the little bugs around the page number.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aladdin's Cave Publishing for my copy of Aesop the Storyteller.
I love this book. Such a lovely idea. I find myself reading aloud and enjoying the rhythm of the words. Great to share with children. There should be a copy in every school library.

"Aesop the Storyteller: A Collection of Fables Retold in Verse" by Leon Conrad offers a nostalgic journey through timeless tales that have captivated readers for generations. As someone who cherished Aesop's Fables in my youth, particularly classics like "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "The Lion and the Mouse," encountering this book was like rediscovering a cherished childhood treasure.

Leon Conrad's masterful retelling of these fables brings back fond memories while inviting readers to ponder age-old questions. Will the stag evade the hunters? Did the lion spare the mouse? And what was the real motive behind the fox's invitation to the stork? Conrad skillfully weaves these moral quandaries into his verses, drawing readers into the rich oral storytelling tradition that has made Aesop's tales enduring favorites.

One of the most delightful aspects of this book is its layout, thoughtfully crafted to encourage reading aloud. Each fable flows seamlessly, inviting readers to immerse themselves in the rhythm and cadence of Conrad's verses. This design choice not only enhances the reading experience but also makes the book accessible to a wide audience, from solo readers seeking quiet reflection to families gathered for storytime.

Alessandro Scafi's charming illustrations add another layer of enchantment to Conrad's retellings. From the majestic stag to the cunning fox, Scafi's artwork brings Aesop's characters to life, capturing their personalities and quirks with delightful detail.

For those who prefer to listen, Conrad's virtuosic readings of the poems are also available in audio format, allowing readers to experience the magic of his storytelling in a new way. Whether read silently, recited aloud, or listened to attentively, "Aesop the Storyteller" offers an immersive experience that transcends the boundaries of time and age.

In the words of Conrad himself:
"So awaken your mind and lend me an ear –
Come, free your senses. I'll take you to where
There's a magical place, filled with creatures with flair –
A country of wolf, sheep, of crow, stork, and bear,
Of talking trees, rabbits, the fox in his lair…
The power of these stories will take us right there."

In conclusion, "Aesop the Storyteller" is a delightful homage to the enduring appeal of Aesop's Fables. Whether revisiting beloved classics or discovering these tales for the first time, readers of all ages will find joy, wisdom, and enchantment within its pages.

A good version of Aesops Fables, the young age of the target audience is in the mind of the author making it a really easy to read and enjoyable book for them.

Publishing date: 26.04.2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Aladdin's Cave Publishing for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

The book as a meal: A bowl of cornflakes with banana slices and jam, a nostalgic breakfast
The book left me: Very satisfied

Negatives:
I wish they were longer, or that there were more stories

Positives:
Gorgeous illustrations
Full of whimsy
Surprisingly funny

Features:
Illustrations, one-page chapters, 12 stories, cutesy "page-count-bugs", animal main characters, returning characters between stories

Why did I choose this one?
I wanted more short stories, and I craved fantasy. This is just within those bounds. I liked the concept given to me, and I thought the cover was eye-catching.

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?
Unputdownable. The text flows nicely and the stories smoothly transition between each. They aren't all necessarily connected, but moving between them wasn't jarring like some collections have a tendency to be. The contents of each story were bite-sized fun, and I accidentally devoured them all when I intended to enjoy them a little slower ...

What was the vibe and mood?
This felt like my childhood when I was obsessed with fairy tales. Very comforting read.
I would say it has an autumn vibe. Perfect read under a snug blanket with a cup of cocoa.

Final ranking and star rating?
S tier read. Five stars. Exactly what I needed right now, and does exactly what it intends to do. Will be recommending this to everyone in my circle.

I love reading fables......They always remind me when I was little, sitting with my grandad, he used to read them to my sisters and I and we used to talk about them for ages.
So when Aesop the Storyteller: A Book of Fables Retold in Verse by Leon Conrad and Alessandro Scafi the illustrator. I was transported back in time again, to revisit these wonderful stories. But this time it was reversed as I was reading these with my nephew O, who just loved just this book from start to finish. This was a joy to read and re-read it again, then to sit and talk about what happened next to the fox? the lion and the mouse? What happened to the Wolf and the kid.......etc
So many questions and giggles we both together sitting on the sofa had and making up new stories on what happened to the them all.........O is still talking about his favourite stories of this wonderful book now. Plus, I even got him to eat grapes and he didn't like them before we read the fable about the fox and the grapes! (result!)

The illustrations were sweet but just needed a little colour to brighten the page. But, are beautifully drawn and went well with the fables.

Within the lovely sweet book you will read and learn what happens to the wonderful animals.

TABLE OF CONTENTS;

The Fox and the Grapes.
The Lion and the Mouse.
The Fable of the Stag.
The Lion and the Donkeys.
The Fox and the Crow.
Wild Dog Dingo’s Winter.
The Fox and the Stork.
The Wolf and the Kid (or Doing What Comes Naturally).
The Wolves, The Sheep and the Dogs.
The Fox and His Tail.
The Fox and the Ground Bird.
The Merchant and the Mule.

Aesop the Storyteller was a joy to read and revisit fables etc of the past and bring these back to life to a new generation.

Big thank you to Literally PR and the author for this book. It will be treasured and looked after by my nephew O who just loved this book.

3.5 stars. A good start to introduce today’s children’s to Aesop’s fables.
I had high expectations and based on the descriptions that this take of Aesop’s work would be new and unique.
It is a well-organised book and it is always nice to be reminded of Aesop, however I have a few favourites of his fables and wanted a book a bit more engaging in its prose (verse), illustrations and perspective to my 9yo child.
I hope pick up this book and read Aesop though.

I first read Aesop's Fables by myself as a small child and the stories really stuck with me. Everyone should know these stories, and this is such a great introduction. Everything feels more modern told through verse, and this format will make it easy for children and grownups to share the experience. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Aesop the Storyteller is a new take on old tales. The fables of Aesop are presented here in verse. Perfect for sharing aloud, readers will find some lesser known gems as well as familiar favorites within this collection.

This is, by far, my favorite version of the fables of Aesop. Not only are they presented in a unique format, poetry, but their is also added material in some of them that makes the old stories seem fresh and new. I love that Leon Conrad chooses different rhythms and rhyme schemes throughout so that each story has its own flare while still keeping the cohesion of the collection. These verses are perfect as read alouds. I can see them being used as bedtime stories or dinner-time discussions for parents and children to share together. I love that the stories are sprinkled with some advanced vocabulary which adds another element to their sharability between grown-ups and children. Finally, it should be noted that none of these fables includes the moral. This isn't because the author doesn't understand that morals are a fable staple but rather because he trusts his readers to be able to discern the morals for themselves. It's so refreshing to encounter this in what is essentially a children's book. We don't always give enough credit to young people when it comes to taking lessons from literature, and we don't always allow for natural discussions to flow between parents and children about what this read. This book does both in a truly wonderful way.

Bottom line: I think everyone should read Aesop the Storyteller, but if you are the parent of young children, whether they have been introduced to Aesop before or not, please pick up this book and set aside some time to enjoy it together.

I haven't read Aesop's fables since I was a child and enjoyed getting reacquainted. I appreciated the author's taking the stories back to the basics, as they were not meant to moralize you. You needed to figure that out for yourself. I enjoyed the prose. It was witty and clever. The modern references just made it more relatable. All in all, it was a quick and enjoyable read. Thank you, NetGalley and Aladdin's Cave Publishing, for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Aladdin's Cave Publishing for the chance to read and review this book.

I don't know if it's nostalgia or what, but this was a fun read. It's been a while since I've read the fables and it was nice to not have the message to explicitly given out in them (still pretty explicit though but that's just the nature of them.).

All in all, 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 where the former is not available.

I very much appreciate the attempt to take Aesop's tales back to their origins. The author notes that Aesop wanted people to think for themselves - true - and the various versions of these stories often took that "thinking" part away by adding all sorts of personal moral baggage. I found the attempt at poetry to be less successful - in places sentences are just hacked into different shapes, with rhythm and meter somewhat jerky or missing. Fundamentally, though, this is a good attempt at teaching original literature, and belongs in any classroom or supplemental education program.