Hillsdale College’s Matthew Mehan Releases ‘The American Book of Fables’
The book honors America’s 250th anniversary with fables featuring American history, geography, and wildlife.
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College faculty member Matthew Mehan is releasing his newest book, “The American Book of Fables,” on May 19. This grand, 395-page illustrated book honors America’s 250th anniversary with poetry, fables, and witty-wise sayings while featuring the Declaration of Independence alongside American history, geography, and wildlife.
“‘The American Book of Fables’ invites readers to rediscover the beauty of the United States of America — her lands, her people, and her principles of liberty, law, and love,” said Mehan, who serves as associate dean and associate professor of government at Hillsdale’s Van Andel Graduate School of Government in Washington, D.C. “These stories invite young and old alike to wonder at the people, places, and principles that shaped America and that still call her — and us — to greatness today.”
“‘The American Book of Fables’ invites readers to rediscover the beauty of the United States of America — her lands, her people, and her principles of liberty, law, and love.”
“The American Book of Fables” blends rhymes, tales, and reflections written for readers of various ages with oil, watercolor, and pen and ink illustrations of American geography and wildlife by realist-impressionist artist John Folley. Mehan won a prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities grant for research on the book in 2025.
“Mehan writes a book that is an adventure in America,” said Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn. “In it, the reader might cross the Mississippi, explore the Great Plains, or charge up the Rockies — and he will find all sorts of creatures, big and small, along the way. ‘The American Book of Fables’ explores the timeless virtues of our country in all their glory: the natural, the literary, and the political. And like America, a trip through her pages cannot but leave the journeyer charmed and more edified for the effort.”
“‘The American Book of Fables’ explores the timeless virtues of our country in all their glory: the natural, the literary, and the political.”
Matthew Mehan is the associate dean and associate professor of government at the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C., campus. He also teaches undergraduates in the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program. He is the best-selling author of two other children’s books: “The Handsome Little Cygnet” and “Mr. Mehan’s Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals.” He has designed civic curricula on the national, state, and local school levels. Mehan earned a B.A. in politics, an M.A. in English, and an honors Ph.D. in literature from the University of Dallas.
- Purchase the book
- Photo of Mehan
- Photos of Hillsdale in D.C.
- Photos of Hillsdale College
- High-resolution copy of the Hillsdale College clocktower logo
About the Van Andel Graduate School of Government
The Van Andel Graduate School of Government in Washington, D. C., was founded in 2019 to extend Hillsdale College’s unique teaching mission to working professionals in the nation’s capital. Its course of study, which culminates in a Master of Arts in Government, integrates first principles with prudential thinking by means of a rigorous core curriculum and careful study of primary sources. Courses are taught by graduate school faculty members and visiting fellows that boast a wide variety of scholarly expertise and experiences in government. All admitted students receive full-tuition scholarships. For more information, visit dc.hillsdale.edu/school-of-government.
About Hillsdale in D.C.
Hillsdale College’s campus in Washington, D.C., extends the College’s educational mission to the nation’s capital by teaching and promoting the principles and practice of American constitutionalism. As the home of the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program, the James Madison Fellowship Program, the Van Andel Graduate School of Government, and a variety of lectures and events open to policymakers and the public, Hillsdale in D.C. seeks to inspire and form students, citizens, practitioners, and statesmen who will restore America’s principles and revive self-government in the political life of the nation. For more information, visit dc.hillsdale.edu.