Aesop's Fables

Though many modern scholars dispute his existence, Aesop's life was chronicled by first century Greek historians who wrote that Aesop, or Aethiop, was born into Greek slavery in 620 B.C. Freed because of his wit and wisdom, Aesop supposedly traveled throughout Greece and was employed at various times by the governments of Athens and Corinth. Some of Aesop's most recognized fables are The Tortoise and the Hare, The Fox and the Grapes, and The Ant and the Grasshopper. His simple but effective morals are widely used and illustrated for children. Children's book illustrator Charles Santore was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1935. He won the 1998 Storytelling World Honor from Storytelling magazine for his book William the Curious and received the Hamilton King award from the New York Society of Illustrators. Santore's work is permanently displayed at the Museum of Modern Art and the Brandywine River Museum.