Storybook: Topic Selection and Style Brainstorm

Topic: My storybook will focus on four lions in Aesop's Fables. Because I already know the format that I am going to use (a fake Facebook called Manebook) I will instead use this post to explore what specific stories I will use and how to use the Facebook format in different ways. I know that I want to find stories that show different aspects of lions rather than ones that all show the same personality traits. This should help me narrow down the plethora of lion Aesop stories out there!

Possible stories: After looking into the 34 stories that are about lions in the UnTextbook I have narrowed my focus to five stories. I believe that each shows a different personality trait of the lion.

The first is The Frightened Lion. This story is about a lion that is startled when a nearby frog croaks. I like that this story is short which leaves plenty of room for adding my own plot. The main reason I chose this story is because I like that it shows the lion being frightened which is quite different from how lions are generally portrayed. I also like that this story would pose a challenge in how to display it through Facebook. Obviously the lion would not admit to all of his friends that he was frightened by a frog. Perhaps someone could have walked by and seen the events unfold and are ridiculing him on the web.

This is the illustration by Crane

The next story is The Old Lion. In this story an old lion that is unable to defend itself due to age and sickness is attacked by many different animals. The animals all feel that the lion has wronged them in some way and take advantage of his vulnerability. While this story is sad, I chose it because it shows a lion completely vulnerable which, again, is not how a lion is normally pictured. I imagine this post either being the lion explaining what happened, repenting, and saying goodbye or as a friend posting angrily after the lion's death.

The third story is The Lion and the Bulls. This fable is about a lion who is stalking four bulls that are friends and protecting each other. The lion realizes he can not take on all of the bulls at once and devises a plan to make them hate each other so he can catch one alone. I chose this story because it shows a lion being clever and patient for the correct timing which are some admirable traits. I would probably do this as a series of posts from the lion first being frustrated and then excited about his plan with a final post sharing his success.

The next story is The Lion's Share. The lion in this story goes hunting with some other creatures and ends up coming up with reasons that he should take all of the resulting spoils. This lion is very conniving and has a prideful greed which I think is partly how lions are normally depicted. For those reasons, I chose this story. I can see this story as a series of proud posts from the lion with frustrated comments from the other creatures.

The final story is The Lion and the Mouse which I have already written about. I chose this story because it is what first inspired me to use the Manebook style and I like that it shows the lion's sense of humor, mercy, and trustworthiness.

I am not sure which story I will end up cutting out, but it will be a difficult decision. Luckily this is a good head start on the storybook project.

Bibliography:
 1. The Frightened Lion from The Baby's Own Aesop, by W.J. Linton and illustrated by Walter Crane (1887).
2. The Old Lion from The Fables of Phaedrus, translated by Christopher Smart (1887).
3. The Lion and the Bulls from Fables and Satires, by Sir Brooke Boothby (1809).
4. The Lion's Share from The Fables of Aesop, by Joseph Jacobs (1894).
5. The Lion and the Mouse from Fables and Satires, by Sir Brooke Boothby (1809).