A new approach to the ancient fables of Aesop features charming rhymes and winsome images by a beloved illustrator. Artist Edward Gorey sets the scenes for poet Ennis Rees's modern interpretation of Aesop's verses, which recount how animals with all-too-human failings receive their just desserts. Memorable renderings of familiar and lesser-known vignettes include the fable of the industrious ant, who prepares for the hardships of the coming winter, and the feckless grasshopper, whose laziness proves fatal. A mighty lion is amused at the notion of a tiny mouse coming to his rescue, a naïve young crustacean admires the bright red shell of a boiled lobster, and a swarm of flies are undone by their attraction to a pool of spilled honey. These and other timeless tales provide humorous insights into the folly of greed and vanity and the rewards of virtuous behavior. American poet and professor Ennis Rees (1925–2009) was the author and translator of many books for adults and children. He also served a one-year term as South Carolina's Poet Laureate in 1984. These fables are from his 1966 book, Fables from Aesop. American author and artist Edward Gorey (1925–2000) combined whimsy and dark humor in such illustrated books as The Doubtful Guest, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, and four Amphigorey anthologies. His distinctive style, featuring characters in Victorian dress in surrealistic settings, achieved wide recognition with his opening-sequence animation for the PBS Mystery! series.