As generations have learned from these ancient animal stories, fine feathers don't necessarily make fine birds, slow and steady helps win the race, and it's a mistake to count your chickens before they're hatched. Twenty-four timeless fables, recounted in verse, are complemented by distinctive wood engravings featuring black-and-red silhouettes of the legendary creatures. Readers of all ages will delight in tales of the lordly lion whose generosity is repaid by a tiny mouse, the miser who destroys his own good fortune by killing the goose that laid golden eggs, and the greedy dog who loses his ill-gotten gains because he's jealous of his own reflection. Many of the fables are accompanied by charming poems that note the healing power of song, the futility of quarrels, the worth of kindly deeds, and other sage advice.