"Which book would you prescribe to your students to read and why would it make an impression on them?
-- Steemiteducation.
I read some of these fables when I was child, in my native language: #arabic of course.
I remembered fables like "The Hare and the Turtle" & "The Ant and the Grasshopper" & also remembered one of the fables collection I loved back then: Kalila & Demna.
This article is the cleaner version of that comment plus some additions.
You can see my comment on her, here.
They are interesting to imagine, have strong Aesop and most of time short enough.
Many fables here are common with the rest of the world (as you might have guessed already.) But some fables that have good Arabian roots are Kalila and Demna. They aren't originally Arabic as historians debated on the real origin, but the book is still considered integral part of the modern Arabic culture.
I heard "Kalila and Demna" stories from various sources through the years,
one of them is a used comic book my father bought me as a child,
which is the cover picture.
What I liked in Kalila and Demna is how the author turned his politically "wrong" society into an animal Kingdom, talked about the problems he was witnessing in form of Animals... The title is the name of two Jackals (Interestingly, they are Foxes in all the versions I read,) who play big role in the stories.
The Lion & The Donkey
Below story is one of the examples, I researched it on google and wrote summarized it in my own words. Most of the stroies follow similar themes.
The Donkey was mocked by all the animals. he asked the (Lion) King for help and finally he chained the King to make it look like he outsmarted him.
All the animals hailed the smart Donkey. The king asked to be freed, but the Donkey didn't free him in fear he'll eat him.One day, the king asked a small mouse who happened to be there for help, the mouse feared to be eaten, but the King promised to make him his closest advisor if he did.
The mouse freed him and the King ran away... The mouse asked him what about being his advisor? The King told him that this isn't a country worth ruling if a Donkey can chain the king, and a mouse can save him.
The End
Sorry I'm not good at summaries, but you get the idea... **Most of time the reader
Kalila & Dimna: Fantastic Fables for all Ages
Where Can You Read It?
As it's the first fable that comes to my mind every time, I'd recommend "Kalila and Demna" to anyone who wants to read fables, it can be easy to find the Arabic versions in bookstores or even free on the internet.
As for English, at the time of writing this post I looked for some English versions, I think most of them are written in "old" language, but "THIS ONE" on Amazon seems to be kids friendly.
I hope to read the original one day.
But I'll leave this for another time...