publishes book through Web-based company
Sayreville woman
publishes book through Web-based company
BY SETHMANDEL
Staff Writer
SAYREVILLE — As a child, Antoinette Isabella enjoyed reading Aesop’s Fables, cherishing the lessons she learned from them.
As a mother, she wished to pass those lessons down to her son, Benjamin.
That is why, in November 1995, Isabella wrote her own book of fables, titled "Isabella’s Fables." Each tale is accompanied by a moral that Isabella believes is easier for a child to understand than those expressed in Aesop’s work.
"As a young boy, [Benjamin] loved having me read to him. I liked reading ‘Aesop’s Fables’ for the ‘lesson-learned message’ from each story," Isabella said. "But because of the antiquated words and profound moral so characteristic of ‘Aesop’s Fables,’ I often had to substitute words with present-day lingo and had to also explain the moral. This sort of took the focus from the experience, so I decided to write my own stories."
Isabella, a resident of Sayreville, writes recreationally, but was never published before "Isabella’s Fables."
"I’m a pretty avid letter writer," said Isabella, who also writes poetry and paints. She said she might also have some of her poetry published in the near future.
"Isabella’s Fables" was published in 2003 by iuniverse.com, an Internet-based company that makes its books available for sale through its Web site.
When Isabella decided to write a book, she was certain it should be a book of fables.
"I like the idea of a moral at the end of the story, a lesson to be learned. It’s a little more thought-provoking," she said. The morals in her book, she added, represent a realistic picture of the day-to-day experiences encountered by the average person.
"I think everyone has learned a lesson or two quite tragically, or in a hard way," Isabella said. "I’m not a speaker, I’m a listener, and I’ve come to learn how people think and the things that they’ve gone through."
Isabella was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and spent some of her childhood in Staten Island, N.Y., before moving to New Jersey 20 years ago. She has lived in Sayreville for 12 years with her husband Michael. Benjamin currently attends Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
Isabella admits that some of the stories contained in "Isabella’s Fables" are longer than most fables, but her original manuscript was too short to be published on iuniverse.com.
"When I wrote these fables back in 1995, I didn’t meet the wordage requirement," she said. She was then forced to lengthen the stories, but the book was still too short. In November 2003, iuniverse lowered the minimum word requirement from 32,000 to 10,000, and Isabella’s book was finally published.
Isabella, who also illustrated the book, said that although some of the morals in her book focus on the consequences of war and misguided hatred, they were not meant to be a commentary or criticism on current events.
Rather, she said, they were written to teach general lessons that can be applied to everyday life.
"My interest was to have the parents read to their children," Isabella said. She believes that parents have a responsibility to teach these basic moral lessons to their children while they are young.
"We are all too often the victims of bad manners, immorality and cruelty. Disrespect for each other and nature itself is running rampant. Showing our children how to respect others, nature and animals, as well as reinforcing the worth of their own talents or traits, is the foundation to developing an empathetic human being."
"Isabella’s Fables" is available for purchase on www.iuniverse.com for $8.95, and can also be ordered at Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores.