The Bear and the Gardener in this case keeping the flies off a friend, and the ultimate good of safeguarding his welfare. The story gained currency in England from the 18th century on through translations or imitations of La Fontaine. One of its earliest appearances was in Robert Dodsley's "Select fables of Esop and other fabulists" (1764), where it is given the title "The Hermit and the Bear" and a milder ending. In this version a hermit has done the bear a good turn; later still this was identified with taking a thorn from its paw, drawing on the story of Androcles and the Lion.
The Lion Who Saw Himself in the Water they are carefully designed to show effective ways of defining and responding to common life experiences. A story is an especially good means for this kind of communication because it works its way into consciousness in a way that direct instruction cannot do." Dr. Nessel states specifically about the story that "With each rereading, the lion's predicament and his reaction to it become more familiar. This familiarity provides a base on which the child can come to understand egocentricity and irrationality at successive depths later in life." Noorullah Babrakzai reviewed Shah's entire Children's Book Series which includes "The Lion Who