Striking illustrations and sophisticated design are the hallmarks of this lush anthology of twelve fables from Aesop. Whether it’s the overconfident hare bounding along in his race with the tortoise, or a disgruntled fox sidling away from a luscious cluster of grapes beyond his reach, the visual images on the over-sized pages are expertly crafted. The selection of fables range from Aesop’ s most familiar (the tortoise and the hare) to some lesser known (the battle between mice and weasels). Each of the stories is told within a two-page spread, and the narrative’s varying font size and style lends itself to expressive reading aloud. An introduction relates how Helen Ward’s choice of fables featuring animals allows the universal human morals to be presented without additional labels of gender, age, race or class. (Age 6 and older)