Lousy, Rotten, Stinkin' Grapes by Margie Palatini illustrated by Barry Moser

"The problem was, Fox was only so high ... and the grapes were so, so, so high. 'No matter,' said he. I am sly. Clever. smart. After all, I am a fox."

Stop and ponder a few of these words - sly, clever, smart - and also think about the arrogance of 'I am a fox.'

Fox is certain he knows how to get those delicious grapes. He refuses to listen to the other animals who, as a reader, we can see, will have a much easier and potentially successful solution to the issue of obtaining those yummy grapes. He enlists the help of Bear and climbs onto his head but alas he is too short. Along comes Beaver. 

"You stand on Bear's head ... I stand on your tail. And on the count of three - Bear gives a boost - as you give an oomph - which brings me - there - and voila! Grapes!"

Beaver has a much better plan, but Fox will not listen. He climbs the tower of Bear and Beaver, but he is still too short. Along comes Porcupine. And yes, you've guessed the pattern of a tower of animals is repeated and of course it fails and of course Porcupine did have a way better idea, but Fox did not listen. Similarly, he does not listen to Possum. 

Next to arrive is Skunk but this time Fox declares defeat. Finally, this is the scene we have all been waiting for, Possum can run up the tree; Porcupine can shoot them down with his quills; Beaver can cut them down; and Bear can simply shake the tree. 

Fox storms off in a huff declaring he won't eat those lousy, rotten, stinkin' grapes while all other the animals settle down to enjoy them - they are delicious, huge, and so juicy. 

This book was published in 2009 and so sadly it is out of print but if you can track down a second hand copy, I do recommend this book as well worth adding to your school library collection. 

Blog report by James Patterson: Unable to reach the tantalizing bunch of purple grapes high in a tree, Fox, who considers himself sly, clever, and smart, makes a plan to get them. "Hop. Skip. Jump. Flying leap. And . . . No grapes." Which is when he turns to Bear for help. Bear eyes Fox's written plan and tries to make a suggestion, but Fox cuts him of with, "Ta-ta-ta-a-ta. Bear, Bear, Bear, my dear dim buddy. Your job is brawn. Not brain. You leave the thinking to me." Fox climbs atop Bear's head, but he's still not high enough, which is why he enlists the help, in quick succession, of Beaver, Porcupine, and Possum, stacking the animals into a not-quite-high-enough tower. The dialogue is crackling and Moser's realistic watercolors are comical in Palatini's latest reworking of the well-known fable.

Review: We see both the animal’s predatory authority and his egotistical foolishness when he is shown launching himself wildly at the grapes from various absurd locations. What really seals this picture book as a bedtime choice for children ages 4-8, though, is Ms. Palatini’s lively dialogue…In the end, as in Aesop, Fox stamps away disgruntled. But in this version, the other creatures feast cheerfully on the elusive delicacy that was, for resourceful them, always within reach. Wall Street Journal

Book design - notice the purple paper on the end papers, the placement of the grapes and fox on the title page, the huge bunch of grapes on the next page, and the eyes of the animals on the cover!

Here is a 2011 blog post by Margie Palatini. I was surprised to discover a book by Margie Palatini that was illustrated by our Australian illustrator Bruce Whatley.

Here are some other books by Margie Palatini:

Barry Moser is the celebrated illustrator of nearly three hundred books for children and adults. His work can be found in the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, among many others. Barry Moser lives in Massachusetts.

Finally here are some Aesop collections worth finding and adding to a school library. You could also just browse the non fiction shelves at [398.24].

The Cockerel and the Fox retold and illustrated by Helen Fox

Pride comes before a fall ...

Chanticleer is the farm rooster. He is handsome, proud, and loved but he is also vain. He has never seen a fox until one day : "It was Mr Fox - reddish, doggish and hungry for his supper."

Fox is a cunning fellow, as you would expect. He flatters Chanticleer and snatches him by the neck. Chanticleer's wife, Pertelote, raises the alarm. The farm animals give chase. It is a wild stampede.

Image source: Visual languages and Analysis Kat Bayliss

Luckily all of this running has given Chanticleer time to think. When the farm animals stop at the edge of the wood afraid to continue Chanticleer says:

"I have to admit you are a clever fellow. Such bravery and wit! It's such a shame these lowly beasts do not realise. You should tell them what a fine trick you played on me. What a cunning plot you devised. After all they think that I am the cleverest creature in all the kingdom."

The fox opened his mouth to speak and ...

"Beware of false flattery ... now there is a moral worth remembering."

Blurb: "This tale, of 12th century French origin, has been told many times through the years, most notably by Chaucer in The Nun's Priest's Tale."

There are also Aesop versions of this story - the reverse story in The fox and the crow; and The Dog, the Cockerel and the Fox.

The Cockerel and the Fox by Helen Ward was originally published in 2002 but it is still available in paperback (2020).

This book is filled with rare breeds of chickens, goats, ducks, pigs, and cattle. I loved reading so many beautiful names such as Gold Partridge Dutch (bantam); Silver Appleyard Drake; Belted Galloway (my favourite breed of cattle); Soay (sheep from islands off the west coast of Scotland); and the Suffolk Punch (horse). I really appreciate the detailed work involved in the way Helen Ward accurately draws so many diverse farm animals. Her lists of rare breeds are such a bonus and are are sure to foster curiosity in your young reading companion. 

Helen Ward is a fabulous illustrator. If you are not familiar with her work try to find some of these:

The Tin Forest

Aesop trickster tale The Fox and the Stork

Recently my friend the Teacher-Librarian from Kinderbookswitheverything gifted (loaned) an Aesop fable or a folktale to each teacher in her school. I always cheer when teachers ask to read Aesop's fables with their class. There are so many and they are such wonderful stories. I plan to borrow various Aesop stories and talk about them here over the coming months. They often contain the most scrumptious illustrations too.

The Fox and the Stork is a trickster tale. The Fox thinks he has tricked the hungry Stork when she cannot eat the soup he has prepared. Her long beak makes soup in a shallow dish an impossible meal. But later it is the Stork who tricks that silly Fox when she offers him a dinner in a narrow jar - perfect for her beak but impossible for the fox. 

Here are some editions of this story. I love the illustrations in the retelling by Karl Ruhmann illustrated by Alessandra Roberti (North South Books 2003). Of course you will also find this story included in most Aesop anthologies.

Karl Ruhmann is the author of another book I loved to read in my former library when we were exploring books about penguins - Filbert flies.

The Ant and the Grasshopper retold by Rebecca and Ed Emberley

There are many versions of this famous fable. In some the ant is the hero - rewarded for his hard work preparing for winter. In other versions the ant is seen as selfish and mean when he refuses to help the grasshopper now that winter has arrived. In this version there is a beautiful compromise. The ant has been busy collecting food for his colony. He has stopped to listen to the beautiful music which is being played by the grasshopper and his band. The ant tells the grasshopper how the music has lifted his heart and so the grasshopper suggests the band could hit the road and walk back to the colony. "The ant was home in no time, hardly noticing the heat or the heaviness of her load. ... "How can I ever repay you?"  The solution - sharing the ant's cool underground home - let the good times roll!

This book epitomizes why I adore children's books especially picture books. Huge thanks go to my friend who loaned me this book from her brilliant library. Take a look at her Aesop Pinterest.  I almost need to quote every line of text to show you the lyricism of the language, the richness of the vocabulary and the carefully crafted word placement.

Here are some text examples:

"Somewhere on the boulevard of backyards an ant was struggling with the remnants of a picnic."

Have you noticed all the delicious words here - boulevard, remnants, picnic!
Have you notice the alliteration - boulevard of backyards.

"The work was hard and she was weary. With a heavy sigh, she persevered, though each blade of grass seemed to thwart her on this hot and humid day."

You need to see the illustration to discover what the ant has found left over from the picnic - a huge slice of watermelon.
Once again we have some truly delicious words - weary, persevered, thwart
And alliteration - hot and humid

Here is the web site for Rebecca Emberley and a video showing her father Ed Emberley creating his work.

I would pair this fable with these:

I would love to find the version by Janosch - The Fiddle Cricket and the Mole.  Here is the cricket playing his music:

Here are two other Aesop fables by Rebecca and Ed:

In my very first school library (Finley Public School) the Kindergarten teacher loved to use a book illustrated by Ed Emberley - Drummer Hoff (1967) and yes it is still in print. Ed Emberley's first book was The Wing on a Flea (1961).

Dixie O'Day In the Fast Lane by Shirley Hughes and Clara Vulliamy

The possible ingredients for a winning story are fairly easy to identify:

1.  The story makes you feel something - this little gem made me smile and cheer
2.  The story might contain echoes of other stories - with this book you will think of the Aesop story of the Hare and the Tortoise
3.  Action can help a story move along so the reader keeps turning the pages in order to discover the answer to an important question or two such as how will this all turn out?

In the fast Lane is the first in a series of three books about Dixie O'Day.  Every detail in this little book is a delight.  The patterned end papers, The chapter heading pages. The interview which opens the story which gives the reader insights into our story hero Dixie. The character introduction pages and most of all the map. I adore books with maps!

Dixie loves his old car.  His best friend Percy enjoys spending a day with Dixie driving in the country and perhaps enjoying a picnic. The car often breaks down but help is usually close by.  Dixie has an annoying neighbour called Lou Ella.  "Lou Ella bought a new car every year, always an expensive one.  It annoyed Dixie a lot when she drove past his house and tooted her horn."  One day our intrepid heroes see a sign announcing a car race from Didsworth to Dodsworth.  Dixie decides to enter the race with Percy as his co-river (he can't drive but this doesn't matter).  Everything goes wrong on the day of the race.  Meanwhile Lou Ella is also determined to win (at all costs).

The Dixie O'Day series is  little set of easy and colourful books from Clara Vulliamy.  Take a look at my review of Mango and Bambang which are  also illustrated by Clara who is the daughter of Shirley Hughes!  You might like to read this Library Mice review.   Here you can see some of the illustrations from this book.

With seven chapters in each book – a chapter for each night of the week – and a whole host of extras, the Dixie O’Day series is perfect for young readers.

Aesop's fables retold by Beverley Naidoo illustrated by Piet Grobler

Many years ago a parent asked to borrow a book of Aesop’s fables from our school library.  Sadly all our collections at that time were verbose and uninspiring.  Ever since I have been on the lookout for new books of Aesop fables and so we now have a strong collection all told with simple language and a variety of illustrations. Here is a new edition of these famous tales that I will add to my school library.

Beverley Naidoo sets her collection in Africa.  “Aseop’s fables aren’t like fairy tales from Europe with ‘happily ever after’ endings.  They are more like traditional African stories.  Life is tough … and things can end badly for anyone who doesn’t watch out or use their wits!”

My favourite Aesop fable is The lion and the mouse. This is the final fable of this collection which also includes The Cat and the mice (Once bitten twice shy), The lion and the warthog (It’s safer to be friends than enemies), The mosquito and the lion (Pride comes before a fall) and The Farmer and his children (Work is the real treasure).

Piet Grobler has added scrumptious illustrations to each page along with decorative borders.  I especially like the hand drawn font he has used for each title.  It may be a while since you read an Aesop Fable but can I recommend you revisit them.  They are ideal for reading aloud, they are short, often heroic and always wise. In this special collection you are sure to discover some old favourites along with some that may be new.  Beverley Naidoo spoke about this book at the IBBY congress.

The fabled fourth graders of Aesop elementary School by Candace Fleming

A big thank you must go to Mr K (see my sidebar) because when I read his review of this book I knew I would love it and I did!!!! I read this book in one quick gulp and then I re-read it straight away because it is so clever and funny and wise all at the same time.

Mr Jupiter is the new teacher at Aesop Elementary School and this Grade Four class are notorious for their dreadful behavior. In fact it is so bad that all the teachers have refused to take this class, that is until Mr Jupiter arrives. As he explains to Mrs Struggles, the Principal, he has worked as a dog groomer, he led an expedition in search of the Dodo bird, collected mummified cats in Egypt, discovered the lost city of Atlantis and conducted the Timbuktu Philharmonic Orchestra to name just a few of his achievements!

In just 23 chapters you will come to know and love the kids in this fourth grade class and their wonderful teachers – Paige Turner the librarian, Nurse Betadine, Mrs Playwright the drama teacher who works in 64 schools, Mrs Bunz the lunch lady and of course Mr Jupiter himself. The class members include Victoria Sovaine – naturally she is in love with herself, Missy Place – she looses everything especially all her mittens, Ham Samitch the eating machine, and my favourite Stanford Binet the class brain.

Each chapter has a little moral or homily but these are delivered with such humor I found myself looking ahead reading all the morals before reading the whole book.

My favourite character is of course Paige Turner. Early in the story she meets Mr Jupiter. “She found herself looking into the most beautiful pair of brown eyes in the whole world! Instinctively, Miss Turner straightened her cardigan, the one with the apples appliquéd onto its pockets. She tucked back a strand of mouse-brown hair and pushed up her wire-rimmed glasses.”

Paige is in love and so she spends all her time trying to get Mr Jupiter to notice her. She changes her hair colour, her shoes, her clothes and she presents Mr Jupiter with a box of Valentines day chocolates but nothing seems to work until we reach the second last chapter and the end of the school year. Miss Turner has found true love at last!

All the details in this quirky little book are wonderful. Even the class textbooks are intriguing. I can’t wait to put this book into the hands of a keen reader I just loved it! Here is a video interview with the author.

I also found two sets of terrific teaching notes one by the author herself and the other has some good discussion questions.