Aesop the Storyteller: A Book of Fables Retold in Verse
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley May 19, 2024
Author Leon Conrad. Illustrations Alessandro Scaffi.
Distributor: Amazon
ISBN: 978-0955639104
Publisher: Aladdin's Cave Publishing; First Edition
Release Date: May 2024
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Aesop (620-564BCE) the storyteller has been considered as a fictional character by many and by others as a very real person, all-be-it somewhat mythical in nature. There is also the consideration that he was possibly a Slave. The many tales spun by him in the marketplaces of the day, have been passed down through the centuries to survive into the modern era of literature as children’s stores full of worldly wisdom.
Leon Conrad has taken these much loved tales, all based around something specific in life, usually requesting in a roundabout manner, to think about what you are doing and the eventual outcomes of your action, retelling them in verse that adds an entirely new dimension to these tales.
In the modern age of rap style music these verses, without the music, are such that they have a fractured and yet melodic rhythm which captivates, that will relate very easily to children in the seven to twelve-year age range; maybe even some adults who love quirky verse.
The stories told are very relevant for today, as they were when once created for the crowds in the marketplaces and Slave Trading pits of Greece. In the retelling, they will transport children and their adults into a time and place that holds mystery and some powerful magic, wrapped around so many of life’s truths. There are also some very witty comments from Conrad on the way through.
Beginning this fascinating journey is the familiar and much loved tale of The Fox and The Grapes, where Fox learns that what you want is not always what you get. Fox being a bit of a wily character is in many of the stories, always with a lesson to impart or to be learned, and what’s more he does not always come out as the winner, which is probably just as well.
Now you may well ask why the Lion and the Mouse have doing business together and you may well be surprised, whereas the simply beautiful poetry of Wild Dog Dingo’s Winter is incredibly touching as Dingo believes in living in the moment, no care for the future.
Written in 2007 and now released into 2024 the fables and tales as told by Aesop and transposed by Leon Conrad are there for a new generation to enjoy and maybe, just maybe, learn a little of life’s lessons through the power of words so carefully and beautifully crafted.