BOOK REVIEW: ‘The American Book of Fables’
by Timothy S. Goeglein · The Washington TimesOPINION:
In his 1989 farewell address to the nation, President Reagan said, “If we forget what we did, we won’t know who we are.”
Those words were a stern warning of what awaited us if we did not start to teach future generations about the great American story and the values of faith, freedom and family.
Sadly, 37 years later, Reagan’s words go unheeded. One of the great scandals of our time is the lack of historical and civic knowledge among American youths.
As a good friend of mine says, “You cannot be responsible for what you don’t know.” Sadly, American children don’t know history because it simply is not being taught in our schools. If it is, it is often a revisionist history that depicts America as the villainous oppressor rather than a liberator from tyranny.
Thus, our youths have no knowledge or erroneous views of history, leaving them with no idea who we are as a nation or what role they can play as productive members of society. We became a society focused on “me” rather than “us.”
So how do we teach the great American story to our children? One of the best ways is through creative storytelling, which is exactly what my friend Matt Mehan, associate dean and associate professor of government at Hillsdale College’s Washington campus, has done through his “American Book of Fables.”
Using Aesop’s fables as a template for teaching an accurate depiction of American history, Mr. Mehan replaces lions and tigers with buffalo, eagles, manatees and other creatures, crafting each tale in classic verse and prose.
In doing so, he teaches young people about the links between faith, virtue and freedom and the sacrifices needed to preserve each, while showing how the gifts of nature and nature’s God can continue to guide and free their hearts, so that we all can flourish and thrive.
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Mr. Mehan breaks the fables into three age-appropriate categories — Littles, Middles and Bigs — to reach the largest possible childhood audience. For the youngest readers, he uses playful rhymes to teach them history. For Middles and Bigs, he uses full-fleshed fables, filled with wit and wisdom, that even adult readers can learn from and enjoy.
Through it all, he establishes the importance of an “attitude of gratitude” toward the legacy of religious freedom, human dignity and self-government bequeathed to us by our nation’s Founders.
I believe such a resource is a vital tool for parents who want their children to grow up to be healthy, productive adults who will be personally and professionally successful and treat others with dignity and respect. This is in stark contrast with the current poisonous culture of disrespect and disdain that has driven us apart.
Our nation is one of beauty. It is a country based on the principles of law, love and liberty, which are expressed through the values of faith, freedom and family. For the past several decades, we have forgotten those timeless truths and now face the loss of those values.
President Eisenhower put it best when he said in his 1953 inaugural address, “A people that values its privileges over its principles soon loses both.”
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Instead of placing privileges above principles, as so many do today, “The American Book of Fables” is a reminder of the principles that have given us the great privileges we enjoy today.
That is why I can wholeheartedly recommend the book to every parent in America, regardless of political or religious ideology. If our children once again have knowledge of our history, we will, as a country, once again remember who we are: one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
• Timothy S. Goeglein is the vice president of government and external relations at Focus on the Family and a co-author of a new book, “What Really Matters: Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom, and Family” (Fidelis, 2026).
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Matthew Mehan
Sophia Institute Press, $39.95, 398 pages