Reading Notes: Aesop (Winter), Part B

The second half of The Aesop for Children had a lot of interesting stories and a lot more with human characters than the first part included. The story, "The Farmer and His Sons" was one in particular that stood out to me. I loved how while I was reading it the word “treasure” represented gold but then at the end the “treasure” was actually the plentiful crop. I also liked the use of a wise old figure, in this case the father, who gives an instruction that seems simple but then turns into a meaningful experience that gives the reader a life lesson. In my story I think I want a character that fits the wise all knowing character criteria, but I want to make it into an animal so maybe an eagle or lion. Moreover, I like the theme of the Astrologer story, which its main idea is one should focus their energy on things they can actually have an effect on and spend less time worrying about uncontrollable factors. Further, I like how a non-verbal object such as a flower was used as a character in the story, "The Rose and the Butterfly." This makes me want to write a story where perhaps a tree is my main character and I can give it human characteristics such as feelings or branches for arms. Finally, I thought it was cool that most of the story, "The Eagle and the Kite" was written in a dialogue format. Writing a story in this format would be something completely new to me and it would take me out of my comfort zone, but I think it would be a fun challenge.

Fantasy Tree with face and branches for arms. MaxPixel

Bibliography:

The Aesop for Children with illustrations by Milo Winter. Link to the reading online.