Hello, friends! Our book today is Aesop’s Fables, illustrated by Don Daily, a board book collection including some of Aesop’s most famous and popular tales.

Little readers can be introduced to classic fables such as “The Fox and the Grapes”, a tale of spite for the things we can’t have; “The Tortoise and the Hare”, a timeless lesson in patience, perseverance, and overconfidence; “The Crow and the Pitcher”, a instruction in ingenuity; and more.

Hard to go wrong with a classic. Aesop’s fables were some of my favorites growing up, and it’s nice to see them adapted for younger audiences here. Of the nine fables included, there’s a nice cross-section of lessons about greed, pride, and accepting others. Some of stories have definitely been sanitized for little bookworms (such as the stag from “The Stag and His Antlers” escaping the hunters at the end). The exception is the Golden Goose, who still meets his grisly end, yet offscreen and not in great detail. Daily’s illustrations meticulously recreate the fables in classic storybook style, and his lifelike animals still manage to express emotion and charm. It’s a longer read than most board books if done all at once (JJ was getting antsy by the penultimate story), but the episodic nature of the layout easily allows for the fables to be read one or two at a time if preferred. A fine adaptation of a few fundamental tales, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)