Aesop's Fables - A Wonderful Free Collection

When I have something to teach my children, I often find it helpful to put it into a story with a moral or lesson attached. They seem to remember it much more readily, and I can refer back to it quickly with instant understanding from them of my meaning.

For example, just by asking them, "Remember the boy who cried wolf?", reminds them in a simple, friendly way not to play silly and potentially dangerous attention games. It makes my job as a mom much easier, and my kids are entertained at the same time by the stories.

Because I'm a great fan of reading, we have a lot of books at home, but that has not hindered my absolute delight in discovering a wonderful, free collection of Aesop's fables available to everyone online.

The authors of this website have organized the fables into easy to follow sections, many with audio versions available that you can listen to as a family. Many of the lessons are categorized, making it easy to select an appropriate fable to illustrate a particular point you wish to make to your kids.

As well as all of Aesop's fables, the website also provides copies of the fables of other famed writers, and one of the highlights is a complete collection of the fairy tales of Hans Christian Anderson. There are over 600 stories available for free!

This website has become a favorite with my family, and I hope that by sharing it with you, your family will enjoy it as much as we do.

Here is the website address: Aesop's Fables - Online

If you are unfamiliar with Aesop and his fables, here is a little background information.

Aesop lived in ancient Greece around 600BC and is believed to have been a slave. Funnily enough, he quite probably did not actually write the fables he is so famous for, but traditionally his name has been associated with that particular type of story from around that era. These stories have been handed down through the centuries, and we are still familiar with them today.

His fables often personify animals and other natural occurrences in order to teach moral lessons and life skills.  Well known examples of his fables include The Boy Who Cried Wolf (which I mentioned earlier), The Tortoise and the Hare, and The Fox and the Grapes.