MODERN FABLES

MODERN FABLES: Character Lessons and Life Skills for Success Why do we emphasize character? Benjamin Franklin understood that character is essential to civic life: "Nothing is more important for the public wealth than to form and train youth in wisdom and virtue. Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom." But what is character? Abraham Lincoln offered a memorable distinction: "Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing." The test of that reality comes in our treatment of the powerless. Abigail van Buren wrote, "The best index to a person's character is how he treats people who can't do him any good, and how he treats people who can't fight back." Sustaining such integrity requires what Maya Angelou identified as the foundational virtue: "Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently." What is the role of fables? A fable is a brief narrative designed to teach a moral lesson. Unlike other forms of storytelling, fables are explicitly instructional—each story illuminates a clear principle about how to live well. The best fables make wisdom memorable by embedding it in concrete situations we can picture and understand. Why do stories work so well as teaching tools? First, stories engage our emotions and imagination in ways that abstract principles cannot. Second, stories provide context. Third, stories are memorable. Fourth, and perhaps most important, stories build moral imagination. The stories you'll read here continue this ancient tradition in a modern American setting. Most are drawn from real experiences, with names and details modified to preserve privacy, and they show the same timeless virtues Aesop taught. TABLE OF CONTENTS TRUSTWORTHY CHAPTER 1: APPLES CHAPTER 2: HONESTLY! CHAPTER 3: "LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS" CHAPTER 4: SNITCH OR NOT? CHAPTER 5: SOMETHING FISHY LOYAL CHAPTER 6: DUKE AND DUCHESS CHAPTER 7: FRIEND IN NEED CHAPTER 8: BECKY AND TESS HELPFUL CHAPTER 9: BEARLY BACK CHAPTER 10: MOVING DAY CHAPTER 11: RUSTY, THE WONDER DOG CHAPTER 12: THE ALMOST KISS CHAPTER 13: WORK IS LOVE MADE REAL FRIENDLY CHAPTER 14: CELL MATES CHAPTER 15: SNOW BUSINESS CHAPTER 16: THE ALMOST DATE CHAPTER 17: TICKLED PINK COURTEOUS CHAPTER 18: "ARE YOU GONNA WEAR THAT?" CHAPTER 19: DON'T CUT OFF YOUR NOSE CHAPTER 20: ON TIME OR ELSE CHAPTER 21: RECITAL CHAPTER 22: TIMING IS ALMOST EVERYTHING KIND CHAPTER 23: DOING WHAT COMES NATURALLY CHAPTER 24: SHE THROWS FREE THROWS CHAPTER 25: TOO TALL OBEDIENT CHAPTER 26: EGGS-ACTLY CHAPTER 27: FAIR PLAY CHAPTER 28: MISTAKEN IDENTITY CHAPTER 29: MOTORCYCLE CHAPTER 30: TOO FAR CHEERFUL CHAPTER 31: PIG IN A POKE CHAPTER 32: CLOSE BUT NOT QUITE CHAPTER 33: EATING THE ELEPHANT CHAPTER 34: THE BIGGER THEY ARE THRIFTY CHAPTER 35: FIELD DAY CHAPTER 36: LENDING WOES CHAPTER 37: SWIMMING POOL CHAPTER 38: WASTE NOT, WANT NOT BRAVE CHAPTER 39: AMANDA'S LOVE CHAPTER 40: DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL CHAPTER 41: FIGHT OR FLIGHT CHAPTER 42: SNIPE HUNT CHAPTER 43: HOME OF THE BRAVE CLEAN CHAPTER 44: A STITCH IN TIME CHAPTER 45: FIRE DRILL? CHAPTER 46: NO SLEEP-OVERS REVERENT CHAPTER 47: APPLES AND ORANGES CHAPTER 48: NEW YORK CITY TRIP CHAPTER 49: RUNNING UP THE SCORE CHAPTER 50: MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD CHAPTER 51: THE HONOR FLIGHT ABOUT THE AUTHOR ABOUT THE COVER WRITE A REVIEW?