Post #3

FABLES by: Arnold Lobel

 

Title: Fables

Author and Illustrator: Arnold Lobel

Harper Collins Publishers

Fables, written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel, is exactly what you are imagining it is--a book full of fables! This book is a greatly deserved Caldecott Gold Medal Winner. I think it is significant for an author to be his/her illustrator. Many illustrators never even meet with the authors of the books they are illustrating until the books are published! While their drawings may be excellent and the books may be wonderful, the connection between the author and the illustrator is missing. Arnold Lobel knew what he wanted in his book, and he accomplished what he wanted on his own. That is a great feat, in my opinion.

There are 20 different fables in Lobel's book, each one page in length. The length of the fables keep children's attention, but also keeps them wanting more. Each drawing portrays each story wonderfully, which is important for children. It helps them to find meaning in the story. Another concept that helps children find meaning in a story is the lesson it teaches them. Every fable teaches a lesson. While many times the lesson is evident simply by reading the story, Arnold Lobel makes it clear to readers at the end of each fable. Lobel has each moral, or lesson, of each story written in italics at the bottom of the page. 

Some of the morals are:

Taking small risks will add excitement to life.

It is always difficult to pose as something that one is not.

All's well that ends with a good meal. (My favorite!)

Love can be its own reward.

Satisfaction will come to those who please themselves.

...along with many more.

While the wording of some of these lessons may be difficult for children to understand, it gives the class more reason to talk about what each lesson means, and how it can affect each child's life. When children can make a connection with a story and their own lives, that is making meaning. Some of these lessons, even as an adult, were very significant. These fables are very influential to everyone's lives, not only the children's. An important strategy a teacher can use in teaching these fables is to tell his/her students how the lesson can affect his/her life. Children love hearing about their teachers' lives.

There are many strategies and activites teachers can use for this book. Being that there are twenty fables in the book, the teacher can dedicate a whole month to fables and all of the lessons the class learns. He/she can also shorten it to however long he/she wants to focus on fables. The teacher can read one a day and have a lesson a day that the children learn. This will give them structure and they will look foward to hearing the new story each day. Some activites that can be done are comparing fables, using graphic organizers and such. When the class finishes the book, they can make their own little books of all of the lessons they learned and how they can apply them in their lives. I am positive that if a child did this activity, the lessons he/she writes about will stick with him/her for the rest of their lives.

I think this is an excellent book and an excellent way to teach children about fables and about important life lessons. The stories are wonderful as well as the pictures that go along with the stories. If anyone has a young class, I suggest purchasing this book.