cover image Mr Aesop’s Story Shop

Mr Aesop’s Story Shop

Bob Hartman, illus. by Jago. Lion (IPG/Trafalgar Square, dist.), $14.99 (48p) ISBN 978-0-7459-6915-2

In this British import, Hartman frames Aesop’s tales by having him set up shop in a busy Greek marketplace: “My name is Aesop! Once I was a slave. Now I am a free man. I have refreshments to sell and stories to tell.” “I know what worries you,” he tells a group of children. “School!” Aesop follows this quip with the story of “The City Mouse and the Country Mouse,” drawing connections between worries about school or money with the fable’s moral. Hartman’s decision to have Aesop deliver the stories firsthand, while interacting with the crowds at the agora, adds dimension to these 10 familiar tales while emphasizing the oral storytelling tradition. Nodding toward Greek frescoes, Jago’s warm and expressive collages are a strong complement to these inviting retellings. Ages 7–9. (Aug.)