Aesop's Fables > Books of Fables > Series Books > Thai Center for Book Lovers Bilingual Series

Thai Center for Book Lovers Bilingual Series

2005? The Thief and the Leopard.  Paperbound.  Bangkok: Thai Center for Book Lovers:  Center for Book Lovers.  $0.99 from Suwon Arphan, Mahachai, Thailand, through eBay, August, '15.

I have a series, apparently "Series 7," with six pamphlets, each offering a bilingual presentation of a fable.  Here the first is a fable I have only otherwise encountered, to my knowledge, in another bilingual set from Thailand!  As I wrote there, a leopard hears a couple during a storm speak of "leaking rain" that has killed many people. Hearing a noise, the leopard fears that it is "leaking rain" and hides in the barn.  The noise is actually from a thief trying to steal the ox.  He mistakes the leopard for the ox. He rides off on the leopard's back and they soon part, each shouting "Help!"  The ugly bearded cheek of the thief stands out even on the cover, which offers various images from this fable.  The art is dramatic comic-book art, one panel to a page.  The back cover shows the six items in this collection.  There seem to be two different speech "bubbles" of Thai on each page but only one of English.  What is that second non-English bubble about?

2005? The Goat and the Fox.  Paperbound.  Bangkok: Thai Center for Book Lovers:  Center for Book Lovers.  $0.99 from Suwon Arphan, Mahachai, Thailand, through eBay, August, '15.

I have a series, apparently "Series 7," with six pamphlets, each offering a bilingual presentation of a fable.  Here the second has a thirsty fox stopping to drink from a pond in the forest.  The "pond-side" is so steep and slippery that he cannot climb up.  The goat's question to the fox in the water is "Is the water clean enough to drink?"  The fox here steps upon the goat's horns and jumps up to the ground.  The traditional fable would have had a well, perhaps a fictitious cheese in the water, and a deliberate plan in which the goat participates.  The punch line from the traditional fable still works well.  "If you had as many brains as you have beard, you would not have jumped into the pond like this."  The moral is "Think before you act."  Perhaps the best of the cartoons highlights the carefree goat walking by the pond and the crafty fox noticing him.  The facial expressions are again strong as the two characters face each other at the end.  The back cover shows the six items in this collection.  There seem to be two different speech "bubbles" of Thai on each page but only one of English.  What is that second non-English bubble about?

2005? The Wild Cat.  Paperbound.  Bangkok: Thai Center for Book Lovers:  Center for Book Lovers.  $0. 99 from Suwon Arphan, Mahachai, Thailand, through eBay, August, '15.

I have a series, apparently "Series 7," with six pamphlets, each offering a bilingual presentation of a fable.  Here the third presents as "The Wild Cat" the traditional story of the eagle, the cat, and the sow.  Here the cat does not live in the middle of the tree between the eagle in the branches and the sow at the base, both with their broods.  This cat happens by and has an idea.  Then she makes the traditional appeal to both.  "The sow is toppling the tree" and "The eagle is waiting for you to leave, and he will swoop down and take your young."  The appeal succeeds.  Neither mother moves, and members of their broods die.  The dead young become the food of the cat.  "The gullible would easily become the victim of the cunning."  Perhaps the best of the cartoons has the clever cat carrying off both a fledgling and a piglet in the last cartoon.  The back cover shows the six items in this collection.  There seem to be two different speech "bubbles" of Thai on each page but only one of English.  What is that second non-English bubble about?

2005? The Lion, the Bear, and the Fox.  Paperbound.  Bangkok: Thai Center for Book Lovers:  Center for Book Lovers.  $0.99 from Suwon Arphan, Mahachai, Thailand, through eBay, August, '15.

I have a series, apparently "Series 7," with six pamphlets, each offering a bilingual presentation of a fable.  Here the fourth presents a more intricate version of a well known fable.  A hunter wounds a deer, who runs away and dies.  Both a bear and a lion come to the dead deer and then fight over it.  A clever fox watches for his chance and steals the deer while the two fight.  "Quarrel never brings good to anybody."  Perhaps the best illustration is the last, which combines four characters: the dead deer in the clever fox's mouth as well as the bear and lion locked in struggle with each other.  The back cover shows the six items in this collection.  There seem to be two different speech "bubbles" of Thai on each page but only one of English.  What is that second non-English bubble about?

2005? The Tick and the Lion.  Paperbound.  Bangkok: Thai Center for Book Lovers:  Center for Book Lovers.  $0.99 from Suwon Arphan, Mahachai, Thailand, through eBay, August, '15.

I have a series, apparently "Series 7," with six pamphlets, each offering a bilingual presentation of a fable.  Here the fifth starts with a great almost-English sentence: "There was a tick who thought that he was the mightiest and quickest other animal."  The tick is well presented by the cartoons throughout, not least when he pounces upon the lion's nose!  "One who is proud of himself will never be a true winner."  The back cover shows the six items in this collection.  There seem to be two different speech "bubbles" of Thai on each page but only one of English.  What is that second non-English bubble about? 

2005? The Two Pitchers.  Paperbound.  Bangkok: Thai Center for Book Lovers:  Center for Book Lovers.  $0.99 from Suwon Arphan, Mahachai, Thailand, through eBay, August, '15.

I have a series, apparently "Series 7," with six pamphlets, each offering a bilingual presentation of a fable.  Here the sixth starts out as though it were a rendition of 2P but then takes a curious turn.  That first part of the story puts them into a rich man's house.  The blue ceramic pitcher is less valued than the arrogant brass pitcher that looked "bright and shine" (sic).  A flood swept both away, along with many other things.  Part of the fun of this story is watching all the things that are then floating along with the two pitchers.  The arrogant brass pitcher says "You should pray to god to make you stay close to me forever so that you will be safe though it bothers me."  Not good English, but great arrogance!  The ceramic pitcher answers with the wisdom of the traditional fable: "You may hit and break me if you come close."  The lighter ceramic pitcher survives.  The heavy brass pitcher "was finally and drowned."  The copy editor missed a few things in this version!  There seem to be two different speech "bubbles" of Thai on each page but only one of English.  What is that second non-English bubble about?

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