Reading Notes: Aesop's Fables (Jacobs, A)

Aesop's Fables (Jacobs)

When I first started reading Aesop's Fables, I was very surprised that every one of them had a lesson even though they were each relatively short. One of the stories, and lessons, I enjoyed the most was The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing. The phrase "a wolf in sheep's clothing" is very familiar and immediately drew my attention while also making me wonder if this story could be the origin of that saying . After some research (here is the link), I found that Aesop lived in 600 B.C., and wrote many familiar stories that translate into common sayings. This included "a wolf in sheep's clothing." How cool! Anyways, the story was rather short and I feel that the lack of detail in the original opens the door to a different more creative approach. I have considered a few options for rewriting the story. First, it would be interesting to tell the story from the sheep's perspective and perhaps making the sheep smart enough to see through the disguise before he meets his untimely demise. On the other hand, telling the story from a villain's perspective could be something that I wouldn't usually do, and would be delightfully challenging. The idea for rewriting that I am most excited about is to really focus on the moral of the story; appearances are deceptive. Although it would appear that the wolf is only dressing up as a sheep to hunt his next meal, the truth could be that he is seeking companionship. After all, appearances are deceptive. 

Since many of these stories have a poem that go with them, I would be interested in attempting a short limerick to accompany my story. The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing did not have an accompanying limerick and my version would be different than the original, so it could be fun to spin a rhyme for my own version of the story with the same lesson.

(Sheep of the Fable, Credit to Harrison Weir)

Bibliography

The Fables of Aesop, Joseph Jacobs

The Baby's Own Aesop, W.J. Linton and illustrated by Walter Crane (Link)