The French poet Jean de La Fontaine (1621-95) is best known for his 243 <em>Fables</em>, which he wrote over a 26-year period between 1668 and 1694. Patterned after <em>Aesop’s Fables</em>, La Fontaine’s tales involve a familiar cast of rabbits, grasshoppers, ants, foxes, and other animals. Written in verse, the <em>Fables</em> have been read by successive generations of French children, but also have been appreciated by adult readers for their satirical commentary on human nature. This copy of a late-19th century children’s edition belonged to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. It contains illustrated versions of 26 of the <em>Fables</em>, including the universally known “The Tortoise and the Hare” and “The Fox and the Grapes.” Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel (1851-1903) was a French painter and children’s book illustrator. His best-known works include a series of paintings on the life of Joan of Arc, now in the collections of the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC.
<br>Children's books; Children's poetry; Fables, French; French poetry; Poetry
<bdi><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Louis-Maurice_Boutet_de_Monvel" class="extiw" title="w:en:Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel"><span title="French painter (1850-1913)">Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel</span></a>
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1888<div style="display: none;">date QS:P571,+1888-00-00T00:00:00Z/9</div>
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<ul><li>Gallery: <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.wdl.org/en/item/355/">http://www.wdl.org/en/item/355/</a></li></ul>