Many of us grew up with the charming, though sometimes brutal, Aesop’s Fables. With Aesop’s Kiwi Fables, internationally renowned New Zealand artist Ray Ching brings the fables ‘home’ in a stunning, whimsical Kiwi take on one of the world’s most enduring story collections.In this beautifully produced hardcover book, Ray Ching’s drawing and painting skills, familiar to New Zealanders through his widely seen paintings of birds, are imaginatively engaged in an altogether new expression of Aesop’s Fables.The stories have left their origins in Greece and ancient Europe and set off to the distant isles of New Zealand.In Aesop’s Kiwi Fables the tales are told by the inhabitants of these islands, mostly birds, who take the place of the more traditional players; Tui are as smart as Crows, and Tuatara is as dogged as the Tortoise, to successfully win his race over Possum.An introduction by Richard Wolfe gives an insight into the work and art of Ray Ching and a brief history of Aesop’s fables in publication.With all 47 fables accompanied by Ray Ching’s magnificent, full colour paintings, this is a book for young and old to treasure.
