Fables, while fun and engaging stories at first read, also feature heartwarming lessons designed to teach kids valuable life lessons.
Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman (Black Swan, the Star Wars franchise prequels, and the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder) will write a collection of fable retellings this fall under the Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group imprint. Natalie Portman’s Fables will reinvent the classic The Tortoise and the Hare, The Three Little Pigs, and Country Mouse City Mouse stories. This new collection — illustrated by debut artist Janna Mattia — will emphasize timeless lessons, including empathy, inclusivity, and humor.
“Reading stories is one of the first ways we start practicing empathy,” Portman said in a statement. “We feel for characters in stories as we might for ourselves or our own friends. These classic tales have great messages (hard work pays off, perseverance and grit win over hubris and haste, abundance can be dangerous), but I hope they just feel like great stories we want to read again and again, the way I do with my children’s favorites.”
Natalie Portman’s Fables will be available on Oct. 20, but readers can get a sneak preview at the first story here.
