Creighton University

Award Publications had already published a pamphlet of these two stories illustrated by Biro in 2001.  Now it comes out in a large print edition meant for children.  The size is the same (8½" x 9½") but the print is larger.  TB has an older and a younger friend.  The latter forsakes the former.  The bear surprises them at very close range and chases them.  Does not this element hurt the story when the chasing bear comes upon one of the two men suddenly dead?  The old man is offering his staff as a weapon for the young man to use when the latter climbs up into the tree.  Biro's illustrations have fun with the story.  The inciting element in TT is not drought or any other danger but the tortoise's desire to fly.  Whereas the tortoise in many versions of this story opens his mouth to say something harsh in response to the crowd, the tortoise here opines that the people below must think that he is very clever.  Apparently the "thump" of his fall does no permanent damage to the tortoise.

Award Publications had already published a pamphlet of these two stories illustrated by Biro in 2001.  Now it comes out in a large print edition meant for children.  The size is the same (8½" x 9½") but the print is larger.  The setting is clearly from the Arabic world, as one notes in the turbans and minarets.  In BW here, the boy does not laugh out loud after the first deception.  The second day, the townsmen see the boy laughing and realize his deception.  Biro's wolf, when he does appear, is terror-inspiring!  The wolf eats all the sheep.  GGE contains the great line after they have cut the goose open to find the gold inside: "But the goose was full of goose."  The accompanying illustration has the man holding the back end and the wife the front end of the split goose.

Award Publications had already published a pamphlet of these two stories illustrated by Biro in 2001.  Now it comes out in a large print edition meant for children.  The size is the same (8½" x 9½") but the print is larger.  The text of TH is reduced, sadly, and loses the skillful repetition of two key words: "hop, hop, hop," and, most tellingly, "snore, snore, snore."  The second story here includes elaborate deceptions by the lion to lure the first victim in.  Then it becomes an account of copycat behavior, with various animals showing how fearless they are.  The best facial expressions may belong to the goat.  The order of stories is switched from the earlier booklet.

Award Publications had already published a pamphlet of these two stories illustrated by Biro in 2001.  Now it comes out in a large print edition meant for children.  The size is the same (8½" x 9½") but the print is larger.  Award Publications had already published a pamphlet of these two stories illustrated by Biro in 2001.  Now it comes out in a large print edition meant for children.  The size is the same (8½" x 9½") but the print is larger.  Biro's style remains engaging.  The characters in the first story are Italian or German, to judge by their dress and accessories.  The lazy sons lounge around in the shade of a tree.  After their father's death and their energetic digging up of the vineyard, they are back to lying around under the old tree until the harvest surprises them by its quality and abundance!  In DLS, here titled with "Donkey" rather than "Ass," the lion-skin falls off the ass as he romps about, and he does not even notice the loss.  Biro has a great line near the end of the story: "Without the lion's skin, the donkey no longer felt brave. There has been textual editing from 2001 to this 2013 edition.

Award Publications had already published a pamphlet of these two stories illustrated by Biro in 2001.  The two stories were inverted there.  Now it comes out in a large print edition meant for children.  The size is the same (8½" x 9½") but the print is larger.  Award Publications had already published a pamphlet of these two stories illustrated by Biro in 2001.  Now it comes out in a large print edition meant for children.  The size is the same (8½" x 9½") but the print is larger.  Biro's style remains engaging, and he explains important elements of the story well.  Thus here, the text emphasizes that at mealtimes the lapdog sits on people's laps.  The illustration also has the donkey seeing what goes on inside the house through the window--since the donkey is of course not allowed into the house.  In short order, the donkey capers, brays, and jumps onto his master's lap.  LM is told much more briefly.

Award Publications had already published a pamphlet of these two stories illustrated by Biro in 2001.  The two stories were inverted there.  Now it comes out in a large print edition meant for children.  The size is the same (8½" x 9½") but the print is larger.  Award Publications had already published a pamphlet of these two stories illustrated by Biro in 2001.  Now it comes out in a large print edition meant for children.  The size is the same (8½" x 9½") but the print is larger.  Biro's style remains engaging,  The man has released the eagle from the net in which he found him.  Soon the eagle carries off the sleeping man's hat.  The man wonders why, until he returns to the spot of his nap and finds that the old wall next to his sleeping place had fallen onto it.  The country mouse in the second story lives in a ditch.  In the city, a man sweeping in the larder cleaves the mice, but only in order to call in the dog to catch the mice.  The mice go to bed hungry, and in the morning the country mouse starts walking home.

Award Publications had already published a pamphlet of these two stories illustrated by Biro in 2001.  Now it comes out in a large print edition meant for children.  The size is the same (8½" x 9½") but the print is larger.  Biro's style remains engaging, and he explains important elements of the story well.  Thus, at the fox's dinner, the absence of spoons--which the stork would be too polite to ask for--is mentioned.  I do not think that I have seen "spoons" mentioned in this story before.  The narrative here drops mention that the stork knows that the fox is too polite to pick up his jug and tip the meat into his mouth.  The faces which Biro gives to the stork on the title-page and to the fox on the story's last page are excellent.  In MSA, both father and son wear turban-like headgear.  The workmen along the way suggest that a donkey is good for carrying two people, and thus the double load is here not an original idea of the man.  After each encounter, the man (not identified as a miller here) thinks that he should please the person who has given him advice.  Carrying the donkey into town occasions a statement that the donkey must be lame, and the father fears that he will not be able to sell him.  At the end, they fall into the water with the donkey.

Award Publications had already published a pamphlet of these two stories illustrated by Biro in 2001.  Now it comes out in a large print edition meant for children.  The size is the same (8½" x 9½") but the print is larger.  The former story here may or may not work.  It tells of the monkey who wanted to learn how to catch fish and so tried to imitate the fishermen who spread a net, only to get tangled in the net.  The monkey is told by the rescuing fishermen that he needs to learn about fishing before he does it.  In the end, the monkey realizes that he does better catching and eating coconuts.  In the final scene of SS, notice the broad grin on the farmer's face and the scowl on the donkey's face.  In fact, Biro's facial expressions are excellent throughout this tale.  Note the change from "Ass" to "Donkey" in the title and text of this second story.