Aesop's Fables
Don't Forget the Morals!

He may have lived, in slavery, over 2500 years ago, but many of Aesop's Fables have stood the test of time.

(Page down to Aesop's Fables.)

They were written in Greek. They spoke to an ancient time. But, impressively, some of their truths still hold.

In particular, because the characters are mostly animals, Aesop's work speaks to children. That can make them an excellent tool for moral education.

For the purposes of this site, I've organized them as Aesop's Morals. I figure a parent or teacher looking for a fable to share with a child is more interested in the message imparted than in the story's title.

I endeavor to present Aesop's Fables in the most useful way I can. The most common translations are over 100 years old, usually by either Reverend George Fyler Townsend or Ambrose Bierce.

I've taken it upon myself to "translate the translations," doing my best to make them speak to today.

You may want to  this page (I'll keep adding fables over time) or purchase a copy of Aesop's Fables for your home.

(Page down to the fables, listed by moral.)

Also...

You'll also find some stories on this site that were written to teach lessons to today's children. I call them children's behavior books.

They're longer than fables, and while they don't have a "moral" they do have a message, and each of them is meant to speak to a specific problem behavior. Just click on the behavior you'd like to treat!

• Lying/Fibbing
• Playing Poorly with Others
• Shyness
• Difficult to please
• Need for Attention
• Scared to Sleep Alone
• Picky Eating
• Not Cleaning Up

Aesop's Fables, listed by morals:

• Appearances can be deceptive
• Beauty is only skin-deep
• Be prepared
• A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
• Birds of a feather flock together
• Every man for himself
• Evil wishes, like chickens, come home to roost
• Fair weather friends aren't worth much
• Liars can't be trusted
• Look before you leap
• Might makes right
• Mind your own business
• Necessity is the mother of invention
• No act of kindness is ever wasted
• One good turn deserves another
• An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
• Pride goes before the fall
• Quality, not quantity
• Slow and steady wins the race
• United We Stand, Divided We Fall
• You are known by the company you keep

And isn't this interesting...

17th century French poet Jean de la Fontaine took many of Aesop's Fables and turned them into rhyming poems. The English translations are sometimes a challenge for modern readers, but well worth the trouble. They're a good deal more complex than the fables, in a good and often funny way.

Jean de la Fontaine's rhyming Aesop.

More stories with morals.

Best Children's Books home.