40 Fun Fables

A fable is a kind of folktale that always teaches a lesson, which is usually stated at the end. By reading and telling fables children learn the great truths that have been passed down through the ages. Fables are full of references that we hear throughout our lives, such as “the boy who cried wolf,” “sour grapes,” and “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” Fables help children learn to think critically, to think in analogies, to solve their own problems and find their own truths—skills that are central objectives of the Common Core State Standards. Our retellings of these forty fables grew out of our desire to find and retell fables that had an element of fun—something that made children laugh or perhaps had a “twist” that surprised them in some way.