Creighton University

The back cover advertises this and the other books of this series as "award-winning motivational character-building picture books."  The overall series, "Sommer-Time Story Series," has won over forty national awards.  The front cover promises "fun" but mentions also citizenship, appreciation, and fairness.  This version of the story takes time to show the harshness of Androcles' life as a slave.  When he thinks of running away, others caution him that he will be fed to the lions.  When both Androcles and the lion are freed, Androcles spends his time talking with people about the abolition of slavery.  "Always be thankful and appreciate your freedom."  The art is realistic, as befits a fable about human beings.  This particular series, "Sommer-Time Story Classics," contains some twelve fable books.  This library edition has a cloth reinforced binding and is very sturdy.  There are also video and read-along versions of these books with sound effects, and there are free online helps too.

The back cover advertises this and the other books of this series as "award-winning motivational character-building  picture books."  The overall series, "Sommer-Time Story Series," has won over forty national awards.  The front cover promises "fun" but mentions also responsibility, trustworthiness, and humility.  This version of the story has young Nicholas, after getting bored, trying throwing stones and then using a slingshot.  Nicholas hides behind a rock after he yells "Wolf!"  He "laughed as he watched the townspeople slip, slide, and fall as they raced up the hill."  Even in the first joke, a townswoman warns Nicholas "If you're playing tricks on us, we will not come to help you!"  His dad adds his admonition not to lie.  The key element that makes the townsfolk suspicious is that the sheep are quiet, not disturbed as they would be after encountering a wolf.  They also do not find any wolf tracks.  After some days of boredom, he suddenly jumps again on a rock and "without thinking" yells as loud as he can "Wolf!  Wolf!"  A few run up the hill to help, but some do not. When they find Nicholas laughing, they are furious.  This time Nicholas, when confronted, admits that he had decided to "have a little fun."  The book's best picture is that of the townsfolk below dismissing Nicholas' desperate third set of pleas for help (29).  Nicholas apologizes to the townsfolk, and some of them say how proud they are that he can say he is sorry.  This book does an unusually good job with the psychology of the story.  It tracks the likely feelings very well.  This particular series, "Sommer-Time Story Classics," contains some twelve fable books.  This library edition has a cloth reinforced binding and is very sturdy.  There are also video and read-along versions of these books with sound effects, and there are free online helps too.

The back cover advertises this and the other books of this series as "award-winning motivational character-building picture books."  The overall series, "Sommer-Time Story Series," has won over forty national awards.  The front cover promises "fun" but mentions also trustworthiness, respect, and truthfulness.  It presents a good version of Chicken Little, first of all by making Chicken Little an anxious young chicken from the start.  Her parents have to reassure her but not always with success.  She fears particularly that walking under a ladder -- as she has done -- will lead to the sky falling on her.  This version puts emphasis on group-think.  "We cannot all be wrong."  Part of King Lion's help to them is to find out just how many have experienced the sky falling.  The answer is, of course, only Chicken Little.  Mercado has fun with small animals away from the central action, like the small bird struggling with an umbrella on the windy day pictured on 6-7 or the worm frightened with Chicken Little about the threat of falling skies on 10-11.  This particular series, "Sommer-Time Story Classics," contains some twelve fable books.  This library edition has a cloth reinforced binding and is very sturdy.  There are also video and read-along versions of these books with sound effects, and there are free online helps too.  I include this book in the collection not because I think "Chicken Little" should be viewed as a fable but because this volume is part of a fable series.

The back cover advertises this and the other books of this series as "award-winning motivational character-building picture books."  The overall series, "Sommer-Time Story Series," has won over forty national awards.  The front cover promises "fun" but mentions also cheerfulness, appreciation, and peacefulness.  This version of the story follows a regular pattern according to which the city mouse declares himself dissatisfied with the country alternative, and the country mouse says that he is eager to experience the city alternative.  The pattern touches trees versus lawns and flowers, a tree house versus a mansion, one living room versus the other, seeds versus city food, and a straw bed versus the city's alternative.  A nice finishing touch in the country visit is the country mouse's last minute offer of some freshly caught beetles!  Because of a dog, the city mouse has to hurry and then crawl through a hole into his house; the country mouse has never experienced that kind of entry before.  Noe's style emphasizes heads and their expressions.  Perhaps his best picture here shows country mouse standing eagerly before cheese in a trap, while city mouse comes screaming up from a distance (29 and 1).  "A home with peace and safety is a much, much better place to live in than a house with plenty and danger" (32).  This particular series, "Sommer-Time Story Classics," contains some twelve fable books.  This library edition has a cloth reinforced binding and is very sturdy.  There are also video and read-along versions of these books with sound effects, and there are free online helps too. 

The back cover advertises this and the other books of this series as "award-winning motivational character-building picture books."  The overall series, "Sommer-Time Story Series," has won over forty national awards.  The front cover promises "fun" but mentions also fairness, citizenship, and honesty.  This version of the story paints a picture of a vain and self-centered emperor.  Max and Rex come proclaiming that their clothes "are invisible to anyone who is unfit for office.  These garments can be used as a test to discover who is fit for serving the emperor" (10).  The emperor even thinks that when he is wearing the clothes, he will discover who is unfit to serve him.  A nice touch has Max and Rex praising the lightness of the new clothes: ""Wearing them will make anyone feel as if he is wearing nothing" (23).  What little Frederick says here is "Your Majesty, I see you in your underwear" (27).  For that honesty, he gets trained as a future prime minister, and his family comes to live in the palace.  The emperor has something of a conversion.  From now on he wants people to tell him the truth, even when it is painful.  The face of this emperor is excellent, starting right from the cover!  The best of the pictures shows the emperor's joy over his new clothes as he stands in his underwear on 24.  This particular series, "Sommer-Time Story Classics," contains some twelve fable books.  This library edition has a cloth reinforced binding and is very sturdy.  There are also video and read-along versions of these books with sound effects, and there are free online helps too.

The back cover advertises this and the other books of this series as "award-winning motivational character-building  picture books."  The overall series, "Sommer-Time Story Series," has won over forty national awards.  The front cover promises "fun" but mentions also courage, caring, and perseverance.  This version of the story takes an unusual approach.  Bitsie the mouse is having a "very hard time finding food for her family" and so she moves deliberately into the lion's den.  She looks forward to getting food there "only when Leo is asleep."  Bitsie complicates things when her curiosity has her saying "I wonder how the lion's chest feels."  No, Bitsie!  No!  When nothing happens in her first probing of his chest, she gets bolder and bolder.  Soon she is asking how his whiskers feel.  After she is caught and released, she takes her family back to live with her forest friends.  The book's best picture shows Leo's astonishment as he is netted and pulled up (11).  All the other animals run from Leo's roaring, but Bitsie wants to stay true to her promise to help Leo.  As she arrives, Leo tells her to go and find "someone big and strong."  Nice touch by the storyteller!  Leo tries to send Bitsie away as the hunters approach, but she keeps on working.  Bitsie jumps onto is name as Leo breaks away just in time.  Leo offers to have Bitsie and her family live in his cave and share his food.  This particular series, "Sommer-Time Story Classics," contains some twelve fable books.  This library edition has a cloth reinforced binding and is very sturdy.  There are also video and read-along versions of these books with sound effects, and there are free online helps too.

The back cover advertises this and the other books of this series as "award-winning motivational character-building picture books."  The overall series, "Sommer-Time Story Series," has won over forty national awards.  The front cover promises "fun" but mentions also friendship, trust, and teamwork.  This version of the story has something in it of "Kalila and Dimnah."  The lion enlists the help of the sly fox to get at the bulls he wants so desperately to eat.  The fox, having first got the lion's promise of a bull's leg for his efforts, says to each of the three bulls that the others are making ugly remarks about him.  The bulls soon fall out.  When two of them are attacking each other, the lion jumps upon the third.  This bull runs to his two friends with the lion clinging to his back.  They promptly help, and the lion goes away disappointed.  The fox complains about not getting the leg of bull promised him.  The lion then devours the fox.  The three bulls check out -- at last! -- the rumors told them about each other.  They reconcile and enjoy again living together.  The artist is at his best depicting both the rumor-mongering of the fox with each bull and the counter-attack of the other two bulls.  This particular series, "Sommer-Time Story Classics," contains some twelve fable books.  This library edition has a cloth reinforced binding and is very sturdy.  There are also video and read-along versions of these books with sound effects, and there are free online helps too.

The back cover advertises this and the other books of this series as "award-winning motivational character-building picture books."  The overall series, "Sommer-Time Story Series," has won over forty national awards.  The front cover promises "fun" but mentions also responsibility, courage, and fairness.  This version of "The Little Red Hen" puts emphasis on the unreadiness of the dog, cat, and duck to join in the process leading up to bread-making.  As Little Red Hen says to them, "You made all kinds of excuses not to help me when I planted, watered, weeded, harvested, and threshed the wheat."  Instead she feeds the goose and the dog that helped to save the goose.  The last page presents Little Red Hen's recipe for bread.  Noe continues to emphasize heads and facial expressions.  One of his best pictures has Little Red Hen sending away the lazy three empty-handed (28-29).  This particular series, "Sommer-Time Story Classics," contains some twelve fable books.  This library edition has a cloth reinforced binding and is very sturdy.  There are also video and read-along versions of these books with sound effects, and there are free online helps too.  I include this book in the collection not because I think "The Little Red Hen" should be viewed as a fable but because this volume is part of a fable series.

The back cover advertises this and the other books of this series as "award-winning motivational character-building picture books."  The overall series, "Sommer-Time Story Series," has won over forty national awards.  The front cover promises "fun" but mentions also caring, obedience to parents, and safety.  This version of "Little Red Riding Hood" continues Noe's concentration on heads and faces.  The cover gives a good idea of Noe's wolf and Noe's Little Red, both well done.  Pages 4 and 5 offer a fine contrast of the two, including both clothes and facial expressions.  The wolf is particularly well done as he sits with his head perched on his frustrated hand, his noble top-hat and hunting outfit not doing him any good.  Sommer presents the wolf's tragic greed well; now he wants to eat both Little Red and her grandma.  Pages 16-17, reversed and minimized on the title-page, show Little Red's rapture with a field full of flowers and the wolf's open-armed generosity in sharing his field with her.  In the Grimm version, does the hunter shoot the wolf, as here, before cutting him open?  Grandma of course gets better, and Little Red of course obeys her parents from now on.  This particular series, "Sommer-Time Story Classics," contains some twelve fable books.  This library edition has a cloth reinforced binding and is very sturdy.  There are also video and read-along versions of these books with sound effects, and there are free online helps too.  I include this book in the collection not because I think "Little Red Riding Hood" should be viewed as a fable but because this volume is part of a fable series.

The back cover advertises this and the other books of this series as "award-winning motivational character-building  picture books."  The overall series, "Sommer-Time Story Series," has won over forty national awards.  The front cover promises "fun" but mentions also responsibility, assertiveness, and courage.  This version of the story adds two early episodes: Elmo decides that he and his son Mort need to mill the grain by pushing the big millstone because a farmer complains that they should give their poor donkey some rest.  His wife Heddy chides Elmo for listening to advice.  Mort is also caught stealing apples, and explains that he was taking his young friend's advice.  Heddy clarifies that he should listen to good advice.  Then the usual story occurs, here because the family has two donkeys and needs only one.  The noise of the river in town frightens the donkey, who gives a big kick, jumps into the river, and drowns.  This particular series, "Sommer-Time Story Classics," contains some twelve fable books.  This library edition has a cloth reinforced binding and is very sturdy.  There are also video and read-along versions of these books with sound effects, and there are free online helps too.

The back cover advertises this and the other books of this series as "award-winning motivational character-building  picture books."  The overall series, "Sommer-Time Story Series," has won over forty national awards.  The front cover promises "fun" but mentions also compassion, citizenship, and friendship.  This version of the story has three soldiers visiting a town of selfish people.  Part of the stimulus for the villagers to contribute is to show up the silly soldiers for trying to make stone soup.  The lesson that sharing brings happiness is nicely emphasized.  The town even constructs a monument to commemorate Stone Soup Day.  The best of the illustrations may be 26-27, which shows the whole town contributing to the meal.  This particular series, "Sommer-Time Story Classics," contains some twelve fable books.  This library edition has a cloth reinforced binding and is very sturdy.  There are also video and read-along versions of these books with sound effects, and there are free online helps too.

The back cover advertises this and the other books of this series as "award-winning motivational character-building picture books."  The overall series, "Sommer-Time Story Series," has won over forty national awards.  The front cover promises "fun" but mentions also perseverance, self-discipline, and diligence.  This version of the story is again well thought through.  All the forest animals are fed up with Harry Hare's boasting.  Perplexed, they go to Mr. Wise Owl, who declares that there will have to be a race to stop Harry's boasting.  All agree.  When, however, individuals are asked to race Harry, they decline, down to the last individual, Teddy Tortoise.  "If no one else will, then I am willing to try my best to race Harry Hare" (9).  All the animals expect that this race will only make Harry a worse boaster.  Harry eats junk food and stays up late the night before the race, while Teddy eats meat and vegetables and goes to bed early.  Harry sees carrots along the way and stuffs himself with them.  He tires quickly.  The best combination of pictures shows Harry first leaning up against a tree (20) but then (22) sleeping on his side as Teddy Tortoise goes by.  Harry awakens and rallies for a close finish.  "In spite of hard times, always do your best and never give up" (32).  This particular series, "Sommer-Time Story Classics," contains some twelve fable books.  This library edition has a cloth reinforced binding and is very sturdy.  There are also video and read-along versions of these books with sound effects, and there are free online helps too.