Lions and Lobsters and Foxes and Frogs

Lions and Lobsters and Foxes and Frogs: Fables from Aesop
Ennis Rees ~ Edward Gorey ~ Young Scott Books, 1971

Thinking of Aesop's and Gorey, which somewhere in the back of my mind I always am, if you've never seen this charmer, you're in for a treat! I've mentioned before the traveling Gorey show that came through here and how the literature associated with it said Gorey attempted to publish his own books for children, but editors thought his themes too dark.

Thus, the bulk of his children's titles were written by someone else.

Enter Ennis Rees, a fellow South Carolinian and the author of a short series of Gorey-illustrated works from the 1960s: this one along with Brer Rabbit and His Tricks and More of Brer Rabbit's Tricks based on the old southern folktales. Ennis does a wonderful job of retelling the fables of Aesop in rhyme, and Gorey's drawings are simple but perfect in helping to catch the menagerie of mischievous natures inherent in each creature.

The wonderful thing about volunteering in an old school is that they have an old library that is still filled with so many wonderful things. My library card is certainly getting a workout, and hopefully, some of these books still have a chance of being loved before the WITHDRAWN stamp snuffs their influence.

Also by:
Rumpelstiltskin
The Dwindling Party
Sam and Emma
Red Riding Hood
You and Me
The Shrinking of Treehorn

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