Fables for Our Time and Famous Poems Illustrated is a 1940 book by James Thurber

James Thurber

James Grover Thurber was an American author, cartoonist and celebrated wit. Thurber was best known for his cartoons and short stories published in The New Yorker magazine.-Life:...

. Thurber updates some old fables and creates some new ones of his own too. Notably there is 'The Bear Who Could Take It Or Leave It Alone' about a bear who lapses in into alcoholism before sobering up and going too far that way. (He used to say 'See what the bears in the backroom will have.') Also an updated version of 'Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....

' which ends with the immortal line "And as even dressed in a nightgown a wolf looks nothing like a grandmother so Little Red Riding Hood took out an automatic and shot the wolf between the eyes." All of the fable have one line morals. The moral of 'Little Red Riding Hood' is "Young girls are not so easy to fool these days." Another fable concerns a non-materialist chipmunk who likes to arrange nuts in pretty patterns rather than just piling up as many as he can. He is constantly nagged by his chipmunk wife for this.

All fables have been already issued before by The New Yorker

The New Yorker

The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...

.

Fables

Fables for Our Time and Famous Poems Illustrated
contains 28 fables written and illustrated by Thurber.

Fable	issue date of New Yorker
The Mouse Who Went to the Country	Jan 21, 1939
The Little Girl and the Wolf	Jan 21, 1939
The Two Turkeys	Jan 21, 1939
The Tiger Who Understood People	Jan 21, 1939
The Fairly Intelligent Fly	Feb 04, 1939
The Lion Who Wanted to Zoom	Feb 04, 1939
The Very Proper Gander	Feb 04, 1939
The Moth and the Star The Moth and the Star "The Moth and the Star" is a fable by James Thurber, printed in the story collection Fables for Our Time in 1940. In the fable, a young moth aspires to fly up to a star, and keeps trying to reach that impossible goal. The other moths laugh at him. They tell him he should have a realistic goal, such...	Feb 18, 1939
The Shrike and the Chipmunks	Feb 18, 1939
The Seal Who Became Famous	Feb 17, 1940
The Hunter and the Elephant	Feb 18, 1939
The Scotty Who Knew Too Much	Feb 18, 1939
The Bear Who Let lt Alone	Apr 29, 1939
The Owl Who Was God	Apr 29, 1939
The Sheep in Wolf's Clothing	Apr 29, 1939
The Stork Who Married a Dumb Wife	Jul 29, 1939
The Green Isle in the Sea	Feb 17, 1940
The Crow and the Oriole	Jul 29, 1939
The Elephant Who Challenged the World	Jul 29, 1939
The Birds and the Foxes	Oct 21, 1939
The Courtship of Arthur and Al	Aug 26, 1939
The Hen Who Wouldn't Fly	Aug 26, 1939
The Glass in the Field	Aug 26, 1939
The Tortoise and the Hare	Oct 21, 1939
The Patient Bloodhound	Feb 17, 1940
The Unicorn in the Garden The Unicorn in the Garden "The Unicorn in the Garden" is a short story written by James Thurber. The most famous of Thurber's humorous modern fables, it first appeared in The New Yorker on October 31, 1939; and was first collected in his book Fables for Our Time and Famous Poems Illustrated...	Oct 21, 1939
The Rabbits Who Caused All the Trouble The Rabbits Who Caused All the Trouble "The Rabbits Who Caused All the Trouble" is a short modern fable written by James Thurber. It was first released in The New Yorker with the issue date August 26, 1939...	Aug 26, 1939
The Hen and the Heavens	Feb 04, 1939

Illustrated Poems

Fables for Our Time and Famous Poems Illustrated

contains 9 poems written by diverse authors and illustrated by Thurber.
* Excelsior ................... written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...

 ... MAR 11, 1939
* The Sands o' Dee ............ written by Charles Kingsley

Charles Kingsley

Charles Kingsley was an English priest of the Church of England, university professor, historian and novelist, particularly associated with the West Country and northeast Hampshire.-Life and character:...

* Lochinvar ................... written by Sir Walter Scott ............. APR 8, 1939
* Locksley Hall

Locksley Hall

"Locksley Hall" is a poem written by Alfred Tennyson in 1835 and published in his 1842 volume of Poems. Though one of his masterworks, it is less well-known than his other literature...

 ................... written by Lord Alfred Tennyson
* "Oh When I Was ..." ............. written by A. E. Housman

A. E. Housman

Alfred Edward Housman , usually known as A. E. Housman, was an English classical scholar and poet, best known to the general public for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad. Lyrical and almost epigrammatic in form, the poems were mostly written before 1900...

* Curfew Must Not Ring To-Night

Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight

Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight is a narrative poem by Rose Hartwick Thorpe, written in 1867 and set in the 17th century. It was written when she was 16 years old and first published in Detroit Commercial Advertiser.-Synopsis:...

 ... written by Rose Hartwick Thorpe

Rose Hartwick Thorpe

Rose Hartwick Thorpe was an American poet. She was born in Mishawaka, Indiana. Among her poems were Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight. She died in San Diego, California. The poem was written while Thorpe resided in Litchfield, Michigan, a small rural town. A bell in the center of the town commemorates...

 ......... JUN 17, 1939
* Barbara Frietchie ............... written by John Greenleaf Whittier

John Greenleaf Whittier

John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. He is usually listed as one of the Fireside Poets...

 ...... SEP 16, 1939
* The Glove and the Lions ..... written by Leigh Hunt

Leigh Hunt

James Henry Leigh Hunt , best known as Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, essayist, poet and writer.-Early life:Leigh Hunt was born at Southgate, London, where his parents had settled after leaving the USA...

* Ben Bolt .................... written by Thomas Dunn English

Thomas Dunn English

Thomas Dunn English was an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey who represented the state's 6th congressional district in the House of Representatives from 1891 to 1895. He was also a published author and songwriter, who had a bitter ongoing feud with Edgar Allan...

Date = issue's date of The New Yorker