Who's Got Game? Three Fables

by Toni Morrison, Slade Morrison

Generation after generation, classic fables, folklore, and myth remain popular because they quicken the imagination of listeners of all ages.

We, the creators of Who's Got Game?, were inspired by the wonder of Aaesop's fables -- their vitality, their endless demand for new interpretations. In our versions the original stories are opened up and their moralistic endings re-imagined: the victim might not lose; the timid get a chance to become strong; the fool can gain insight; the powerful may lose their grip. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. More than a play on these beloved fables, Who's Got Game? is AESOP LIVE!

Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Picture Books, Short Stories, Childrens

Audio CD

Published January 30, 2007

About the author

Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison, known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist and editor. Her first novel, The Bluest Eye, was published in 1970. The critically acclaimed Song of Solomon (1977) brought her national attention and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 1988, Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved (1987); she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.

Born and raised in Lorain, Ohio, Morrison graduated from Howard University in 1953 with a B.A. in English. Morrison earned a master's degree in American Literature from Cornell University in 1955. In 1957 she returned to Howard University, was married, and had two children before divorcing in 1964. Morrison became the first black female editor for fiction at Random House in New York City in the late 1960s. She developed her own reputation as an author in the 1970s and '80s. Her novel Beloved was made into a film in 1998. Morrison's works are praised for addressing the harsh consequences of racism in the United States and the Black American experience.

The National Endowment for the Humanities selected Morrison for the Jefferson Lecture, the U.S. federal government's highest honor for achievement in the humanities, in 1996. She was honored with the National Book Foundation's Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters the same year. President Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on May 29, 2012. She received the PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction in 2016. Morrison was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2020.

Reviews

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than the originals. Much better. Kinder and with more sly humor. Great for all ages!

[K2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first two stories were really good....the last was cool!

[Illiterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Update of Aesop. Nicely done.

[Albablume · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous especially when it's read by the author herself! I highly recommend this to young and adult audiences.

[Salsabrarian]

The Aesop's fable with hip-hop ambience. Set in what looks like NewYork City, Ant and Grasshopper spend the summer hanging out in the park, romping and rapping. Fall sets in and Ant feels the need to start gearing up for winter. While he works to prepare his home and store food, Grasshopper keeps making enjoyable music. Winter arrives and the bedraggled Grasshopper looks to Ant to provide refuge. But Ant refuses, saying he "should have known what tomorrow would bring. Then you wouldn't be begging for anything."Grasshopper declares "I'm an artist, that's what I do! You loved my music so respect me too!" The story ends not on the side of the ant, but unresolved.Who's right, who's got game: the practical one or the artist? The last page of Grasshopper slogging alone in the snowstorm is spooky and unsettling.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenges: May 2020 - 20/31 books; Reading Toni Morrison 2020 - Bonus book/1. A collaboration of mother and son, read by Toni Morrison to retell re-imagined Aesop Fables. Complementary friendship represents the importance of both food for the body and food for the soul; identity swapping replaces humble wisdom with the bravado of the bully; self-respect requires that one pay attention for self-preservation, even while helping others. Beautifully produced musical accompaniment and writing by the Morrisons while Toni Morrison's voice soothes the soul.

[Mayda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting slant on some classic fables. Don’t expect the endings to be the same: whatever was may not be! Creative, imaginative, and highly entertaining, this children’s audio is well-performed by Toni Morrison and a delight for the whole family.

[Emile · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved both the language (rhythms & word choice) as well as the slightly meatier and more nuanced take on the fables. The audiobook version is great; Morrison is a fantastic reader. I have no idea if the physical book is illustrated, so I don't know if I'm missing something there.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

fantastic retelling of parables in a modern tounge...

From "The Ant or the Grasshopper"

"I quenched your thirst,
and fed your soul,
you can't spare me a doughnut hole"

[Yuli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Art is work assholes

[Chantal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toni Morrison can do no wrong. Just wish this was more of a novella. It’s a great concept.

[Sheila Metcalf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet little retelling of fables. The last one is priceless.