Fables by Arnold Lobel

Arnold Lobel uses animal characters to tell his Fables. Each fable is about a page in length and ends with an italicized “lesson” sentence at the bottom. Each one is an unusual story that goes with the “lesson,” but it is not obvious what the message will be. In The Elephant and His Son, the father elephant tells his son that he must be quiet so that he can read the newspaper. He says he can only focus on one thing at a time. Then his slipper catches on fire and the son has to bring it to his attention. The lesson is: “Knowledge will not always take the place of simple observation.” While I see the lesson, it was not the obvious ending to the story.

Fables is the winner of the Caldecott Medal. Each fable has an accompanying picture showing the characters from that fable. The illustrations are triple framed giving the reader distance from the story’s action. I think the animal characters, formal language, coupled with the framed illustrations allows the reader to more objectively read each fable for its intended message.

While many people would expect the book to be geared toward young children as a read aloud because of the short stories, illustrations, and animals, I think the collection would be lost on young children. As I mentioned above, the lesson is not clear from each story and each lesson is a complex idea. For instance, one lesson sentence states: “Advice from friends is like the weather. Some of it is good; some of it is bad.” I don’t think young children could fathom that idea. The formal language makes the book inaccessible to young children as well. In The Lobster and the Crab, Crab states: “Lobster…it is foolhardy to venture out on a day like this.” To which Lobster replies, “Perhaps so… but I love a squall at sea.” I found the exchange amusing because it is formally written, but I don’t think young children could understand it. I think Fables would be more suited for upper elementary school children.

My favorite story is The Lobster and the Crab. Its lesson states: “Even the taking of small risks will add excitement to life.” How true! How true! I also had a good chuckle in The Bad Kangaroo. A young kangaroo throws spit balls and puts tacks on the teacher’s chair. When the principal visits home, the parents do the same thing. The lesson reads: “A child’s conduct will reflect the ways of his parents.” Hehe :)