Spanish-English Aesop's Fables for Young and Old

Book excerpt: Aesop's Fables, also called Aesopica, are a collection of fables attributed to Aesop, a slave and storyteller who is said to have lived between 620 and 564 BC in ancient Greece. Once upon a time, long ago in a far-off land, all things and beings not only had consciousness, but could also communicate in the same language. These stories contain distilled wisdom and can be used with great effect. They teach moral lessons, above all about love and respect, and greed and all the inner demons that constantly plague us. The allegories in the fables are sophisticated and rich. Normally, animals are the protagonists, perhaps because the depiction of human behavior, especially the contemptible kind, reflected in our animal world companions, makes it easier for us to recognize the root of evil. That is Aesop's world. The key to it lies in the observation that mutual understanding does not arise simply from all things understanding each other; no, that's where the fun begins. The fables are good reading for children. But at the same time, they are amazingly entertaining for adults. In short, they directly target human everyday experiences that everyone knows and makes every day. The book at A2 language level offers a parallel translation that allows the reader to learn the Spanish language in a shorter time. At a glance, it is immediately apparent what unknown words mean. The audio files are included and available online. With the help of QR codes, you can access an audio file in no time without having to manually type in web addresses.