From the pen of Barbara Bader, erstwhile juvenile editor at Kirkus Reviews, and author of the magisterial American Picturebooks from Noah's Ark to the Beast Within, comes this introduction to the body of fables attributed to Aesop. With a scholarly introduction that traces the evolution of the tales, nineteen of the actual fables, and a selection of legends about the life of Aesop himself, Aesop & Company is the ideal book to give to the young reader who already knows and loves these pithy little morality-plays, and wants to learn a little bit more about where they came from.

Bader explores the ties between the Greek fables associated with Aesop - believed to have been a slave on sixth-century Samos - and the fable tradition of the ancient Sumerians; as well as discussing the many classical authors, from Demetrius to Babrius and Phaedrus, who adapted his stories. The fables she selected are generally well-known favorites, from The Tortoise and the Hare to The Ant and the Grasshopper. Each is presented on a two-page spread, together with an engraved illustration by Arthur Geisert. The book closes with a number of legends concerning Aesop's life while a slave on Samos - his unattractive appearance, his superior intellect, and the way in which he won his freedom.

Read as part of my recent "Aesop Project," I thought that Aesop & Company was an enjoyable and informative book. I found Bader's adaptations engaging, and Geisert's sepia-toned engravings quite interesting, but it was the author's scholarly introduction which truly appealed to me, and I find myself considering digging a little deeper into the classical sources for "Aesop's" fables. It think perhaps I will seek out the work of of Babrius and Phaedrus... ( )