Creighton University

This is a 16-page pamphlet 4½" x 6½".  There is one sentence of the story and one image per page.  This version spends four pages to describe this crow's flights and his visits to friends and his eating of a lot of berries.  One of the best illustrations is from inside the vase, where there is water only near the bottom.  Another fine illustration shows him pacing and thinking.  "Penso y penso….  At the end blue water almost overbrims the vase.  The moral:  "Con perseverancia y esfuerzo lograrás lo que te propongas."

This is a 16-page pamphlet 4½" x 6½".  There is one sentence of the story and one image per page.  In this version, the chick has no mercy on the worm but rather devours it -- and then asks for mercy from the birdcatcher.  When he receives no mercy, he repents -- too late -- of his former action.  The moral:  "Haz el bien a los otros, si quieres que te lo hagan a ti."

This is a 16-page pamphlet 4½" x 6½".  There is one sentence of the story and one image per page.  This is a lively version of the story, including demonstration of several of the fox's tricks.  In the end, the fox survives and learns how important it is to be sensible.  The moral:  "Es mejor dominar una habilidad, que alardear de muchas que no se tienen.

This is a 16-page pamphlet 4½" x 6½".  There is one sentence of the story and one image per page.  This version of the story is curious.  I had trouble at first telling in the pictures which animal was guard-dog and which was wolf, especially because the wolf wears a spikey collar.  Does the guard-dog wear a gun?  The wolf dresses up in the shepherd's clothes but still howls -- and attracts the attention of both shepherd and guard-dog.  The shepherd hits the fleeing wolf on the head with a rock and the dog bites him all over before he escapes, finding himself "un completo tonto."  The moral:  "La desgracia llega a quienes tratan de lastimar a otros."  I wish that were true!

This is a 16-page pamphlet 4½" x 6½".  There is one sentence of the story and one image per page.  In this version, the two mice are clothed.  Both are clothed in human fashion, and the country mouse has a natty plaid cap.  The rejected food in the country includes a huge ear of what we Americans call corn. The city mouse gets to the sumptuous feast by climbing up the table cloth.  They are prevented from eating first by a woman and then by a cat.  The moral:  "Haz lo que creas más conveniente para ti.."

This is a 16-page pamphlet 4½" x 6½".  There is one sentence of the story and one image per page.  In this version, the tortoise enjoys walks in order to admire the flowers and birds.  Both characters have human clothes.  The rabbit falls over with laughter at the tortoise's outrageous suggestion of a race.  The rabbit's rest turns into profound sleep.  The moral:  "Con constancia, aunque lentamente, se alcanza la meta."

This is a 16-page pamphlet 4½" x 6½".  There is one sentence of the story and one image per page.  This version features "Tia Grulla," who gives people wise advice, especially when they are hurting.  She, like the other cranes, wears a babushka.  The evil wolf steals a fish from a young bear and gorges himself, but then finds bones stuck in his throat.  He goes to Tia Grulla.  One of the best images comes from the wolf's throat looking outward.  In this version, the wolf as usual pays nothing and claims it to be a gift that Tia Grulla goes away safe.  She thinks it over and is content to have saved her life.  One has to know when to fight and when not to.  I do not think I have ever seen this fable understood this way!