La Fontaine is well known for his short fables in verse form that use animals and their actions to highlight man's silliness, inconsistency, and frailty. La Fontaine is a master of the fable, well aware of how to capture the reader's attention and make his point or "moral." His stories are more subtle and unconventional than those of earlier authors such as Aesop, yet they still retain the immediacy and charm that makes fables so memorable.

La Fontaine, born in France in 1621, was respected and honored by his peers. His writing won him a place in the prestigious Académie française and he enjoyed the patronage of several wealthy and famous people of his time--Nicolas Fouquet, superintendent of finance; the dowager duchess of Orléans; and Madame Sablière, noted for her glittering salon.

La Fontaine's fables are as fresh and original today as when he first wrote them in the seventeenth century. He captures the essence of the fable--making the profound appear simple--while entertaining his readers. Everyone will find something useful and insightful in these hundred fables of La Fontaine.