[ THE IMPORTANCE OF FABLES NOWADAYS ]

Fables are a literary genre, and these narratives are among some of the oldest ever heard of.  They first appeared in the Eastern world and were recreated in the West by Greek fabulist and storyteller Aesop. Since its appearance, we have had great fabulists: La Fontaine, Phaedrus, Leonardo da Vinci, Monteiro Lobato, Câmara Cascudo, among many others. They created their stories with various purposes: to guide, to advise, to warn about some real-life event, to teach lessons, to criticize, to convey irony, to fight for ideas, or to suggest ways of behaving according to good morals. Therefore, at the end of each fable, we have the so-called “moral of the story”. What can we learn from the story told? An essential detail should be added: fables are known for having animals as the main characters. These animals are the main agents of humans’ education. 

When children listen to a fable, they identify with the story quickly. They become receptive to the content, especially due to the presence of animals as characters, and they can incorporate the values that the fables bring. With a simple narrative structure and short, clear texts, fables can lead children to identify key moments in the story and put themselves in the characters’ shoes, interacting with what is being told, debating, commenting and even doubting its message, comparing what is real with what is imaginary, building their own thinking and getting a sense of cognitive and affective achievement.     

It was with these aspects found in fables that we chose eight stories to be part of Aperte o PLAY. Short but powerful stories that make our most primary emotions emerge. The word fable derives from the Latin verb fabulare, which means "talk", a fundamental thing that we need to do together with children. It is important to bear in mind that fables used to be told orally, and they were not only meant for children. Adults also listened to them. After all…what we feel is universal.