''Fables'' is a children's picture book written and illustrated by American author Arnold Lobel. Released by

Harper & Row Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins, based in New York City. Founded in New York in 1817 by James Harper and his brother John, the company operated as J. & J. Harper until 1833, when ...

in 1980, it was the recipient of the

Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

for

illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation, or visual explanation of a text, concept, or process, designed for integration in print and digitally published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vi ...

in 1981.American Library Association
Caldecott Medal Winners, 1938 - Present
URL accessed 27 May 2009. For each of the twenty fables, Lobel's text occupies one page, with his color illustration on the facing page. He gives a moral to each, but while the moral is genuine, the tone of the fables is cheerful and playful rather than moralistic. For instance, in the first fable a bed-loving crocodile admires the orderly pattern of flowers on his bedroom wallpaper. When confronted with the riot of flowers in Mrs. Crocodile's garden he retreats to his bed in distress, where he is comforted by the neat floral rows of the wallpaper. After that he seldom leaves his bed, becoming a sickly shade of green. The moral is, "Without a doubt, there is such a thing as too much order."

List of Fables

*The

Crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...

in the Bedroom: **Plot: A crocodile enjoys the orderly flowered wallpaper in his bedroom, over his wife's messy garden, but becomes sickly upon never leaving. **Moral: ''Without a doubt, there is such a thing as too much order.'' *The

Duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

s and the

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

: **Plot: Two ducks meet a seemingly friendly fox, while taking their regular path to their pond. But when the fox shows his true colors, they decide to search for a new safer path. **Moral: ''At times, a change of routine can be most healthful.'' *King

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

and the

Beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

: **Plot: An arrogant lion king demands that everybody, including a tiny beetle, bow to him. However the King receives a humiliating blow, upon inspecting the beetle's bow. **Moral: ''It is the high and mighty who have the longest distance to fall.'' *The

Lobster Lobsters are Malacostraca, malacostracans Decapoda, decapod crustaceans of the family (biology), family Nephropidae or its Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on th ...

and the

Crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek language, Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen#Arthropoda, abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the Thorax (arthropo ...

: **Plot: An adventurous lobster takes a timid crab on a boat ride through an ocean storm, and both end up enjoying themselves. **Moral: ''Even the taking of small risks will add excitement to life.'' *The

Hen Hen commonly refers to a female animal: a female chicken, other gallinaceous bird, any type of bird in general, or a lobster. It is also a slang term for a woman. Hen, HEN or Hens may also refer to: Places Norway *Hen, Buskerud, a village in R ...

and the Apple Tree: **Plot: A hen finds a talking apple tree outside her house. The "tree" invites her out to enjoy its company, but several clues suggest there's an ulterior motive. **Moral: ''It is always difficult to pose as something that one is not.'' *The

Baboon Baboons are primates comprising the biology, genus ''Papio'', one of the 23 genera of Old World monkeys, in the family Cercopithecidae. There are six species of baboon: the hamadryas baboon, the Guinea baboon, the olive baboon, the yellow ba ...

's Umbrella: **Plot: A baboon with an umbrella is advised by a friend to cut holes in it, so he can enjoy the beautiful weather, but things end up going terribly wrong after that. **Moral: ''Advice from friends is like the weather. Some of it is good; some of it is bad.'' *The

Frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

s at the Rainbow's End: **Plot: Three frogs travel to the end of the rainbow to secure its treasure, but find another surprise instead. **Moral: ''The highest hopes may lead to the greatest disappointments.'' *The

Bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

and the

Crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

: **Plot: A bear is determined to impress the townspeople with his fancy dress, but falls for some bad fashion tips from a troublemaking crow and ends up humiliated. **Moral: ''When the need is strong, there are those who will believe anything.'' *The

Cat The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

and his Visions: **Plot: A cat has great visions of a fish feast while fishing, but they gradually wane as time goes by without a nibble. **Moral: ''All's well that ends with a good meal.'' *The

Ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds. Two living species are recognised, the common ostrich, native to large parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, w ...

in Love: **Plot: A shy ostrich takes great measures to show his love for a female, but can't bring himself to tell her how he feels. **Moral: ''Love can be its own reward.'' *The

Camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...

Dances: **Plot: A camel teaches herself how to dance, but is not able to impress anyone but herself with her skills. **Moral: ''Satisfaction will come to those who please themselves.'' *The Poor old

Dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...

: **Plot: A homeless dog with shabby clothing finds a ring and wishes for better conditions. Things do eventually work out, but not in the way he expects. **Moral: ''Wishes, on their way to coming true, will not be rushed.'' *Madame

Rhinoceros A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

and her Dress: **Plot: A rhinoceros is enamored with a dress she sees, and buys it. However she has second thought upon trying it on, and receives mixed reviews from others. **Moral: ''Nothing is harder to resist than a bit of flattery.'' *The Bad

Kangaroo Kangaroos are marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use, the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...

: **Plot: When the school principal becomes fed up with a young kangaroo's pranks, he wishes to meet with the kangaroo's parents, but is in for an even bigger surprise. **Moral: ''A child's conduct will reflect the ways of his parents.'' *The

Pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

at the Candy Store: **Plot: After a dream of candy, a pig wakes up with a craving for some, and darts to the candy store. When it turns out to be closed, the pig decides it was for the best. **Moral: ''A locked door is very likely to discourage temptation.'' *The

Elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...

and His Son: **Plot: A young elephant's singing distracts his cigar smoking father, who's so focused on reading his newspaper, he doesn't even notice another disaster happening right in front of him. **Moral: ''Knowledge will not always take the place of simple observation.'' *The

Pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...

and the Crane: **Plot: A crane invites an outcast pelican to tea, and learns there's a reason he's an outcast. **Moral: ''When one is a social failure, the reasons are as clear as day.'' *The Young

Rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

: **Plot: After the death of his father, a rooster initially struggles to assume the responsibility of waking the sun every morning, but his second attempt shocks everyone. **Moral: ''A first failure may prepare the way for later success.'' *The

Hippopotamus The hippopotamus (''Hippopotamus amphibius;'' ; : hippopotamuses), often shortened to hippo (: hippos), further qualified as the common hippopotamus, Nile hippopotamus and river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Sahar ...

at Dinner: **Plot: A hungry hippopotamus greedily overindulges at a restaurant, and ends up regretting it, when he's trapped by his enlarged gut. **Moral: ''Too much of anything often leaves one with a feeling of regret.'' *The

Mouse A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus'' ...

at the Seashore: **Plot: A young mouse endures several hardships on a journey from his parents to the ocean, but declares it was worth it. **Moral: ''All the miles of a hard road are worth a moment of true happiness.''

Reception

ALA wrote "Short, original fables with fresh, unexpected morals poke subtle fun at human foibles through the antics of animals. . . . The droll illustrations, with tones blended to luminescent shading, are complete and humorous themselves.", while ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' found "there's not a jot of wit, wisdom, style, or originality in these 20 flat and predictable items. The illustrations ... suffer for having less to illustrate." '' Horn Book'' wrote, "the author-illustrator has invented twenty animal fables with an original flavor" and "Each miniature narrative occupies a page by itself and is balanced by a full-page picture which reflects the crucial event of the fable and portrays the joyfully conceived characters." ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' called the book "the most remarkable of the author-illustrator's 60-plus, bestselling award winners." In a retrospective essay about the Caldecott Medal-winning books from 1976 to 1985, Barbara Bader wrote that "in Lobel's natural hand, in spontaneous, cartoony sketches or comic stylizations, the work would have had more sparkle and less ponderousness."

References