Aesop’s fables are timeless treasures that are as relevant today as they were when first written in the 6th century B.C. by the Greek slave Aesop. Of the 100s of Aesop’s books to choose from, there are really only two choices: The stark, boring, direct translation that is difficult to understand; or the fluffy, stereotypical children’s book where the moral or life lesson is of limited importance. Needham resident, Vincent Mastro has recently published a refreshing, unique and powerful variation of 3 Aesop’s fables. One parent described how her 5 year son could not keep his hands off the book because he wanted her to read faster. The thing she loved the most was the conversations the two of them had as she read the fables and afterwards as well. She used the term ‘priceless’. Here are a few more parent reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Aesops-1st-Book-Childhood-Adventures/product-reviews/0988679116/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
Synopsis: Each fable is told from the perspective of a child observing the world and learning from it. In this truly unique series, Aesop is that child. He comes to life as an inquisitive, confident young raccoon who goes on a daily adventure and experiences each fable as it unfolds. Aesop’s grandmother encourages him to go on these adventures so that he may find answers to his many questions. Upon his return Aesop shares what he has learned with his grandmother who validates his conclusions.
Aesop’s 1st Book of Childhood Adventures is available on-line at Amazon and at www.aesopsadventures.com. You can also purchase it at Wellesley Books and NE Mobile Book Fair. Aesop also has his own Facebook page called ‘Little Aesop’. Visit him to see what he is up to. He may even answer questions from the little ones.
About the Author: Vincent Mastro is a father of 19 year old twins. He is a member of the board of directors for TALC, The Adolescent Leadership Council, a not for profit focused on the development of teens with chronic illnesses of all kinds. Vincent Mastro is also a senior software engineering manager for a fortune 100 company. He has been published multiple times in software industry publications including the prestigious ACM journals.
Life lessons were passed to Vincent Mastro from his parents, aunts uncles and grandparents in different stories associated with his ethnic heritage. During his teen years he learned of Aesop’s fables and realized they were indeed the source of these important messages. As a parent, he was left unsatisfied with the many classic versions of the fables because they were stark and not at all interesting to his twins. His motivation for writing this version of the fables is for the next generation of children so that they may benefit from these extraordinary, timeless messages of insight.
