I’m in book preview mode. Every summer, as part of my preparation for next school year, I make reading suggestion lists available to our school community. These lists provide parents with vetted book titles that will correspond to the history cycle our school is studying the following year. This spring, I’m brushing up our lists by previewing books about medieval and renaissance times. Right now, I have 77 books checked out from the library, most of which are part of this preview process. Some books are instant winners. Others are instantly returned to the library bag. Some need a full read-through; for others I can just scan the index or read a few pages at random. I’m happy with the list that’s taking shape! In the meantime, here are a few recent winners (and one obvious loser) that I’ve come across in my library piles.
 
Thimbleberry Stories by Cynthia Rylant was perfect for my growing six-year-old reader. Nigel the chipmunk lives on Thimbleberry Lane. Each tale in this sweet collection introduces a new neighbor or friend of Nigel and an idyllic adventure they share. Reminiscent of The Wind in the Willows, the stories feature small wild creatures and highlight generosity, patience, and thoughtfulness. (No, it’s not about the Middle Ages, just a gem we found recently that was new to me.)
 
A blanket recommendation for Bill Bryson would be unwise. Some of his material, though fascinating and skillful, is also crass and sarcastic. Bill Bryson’s Shakespeare: The World as Stage, though, is safe to suggest for high school or adult readers. A short look at the known details of Shakespeare’s life (there aren’t many) is laced into a historical exploration of his era. It’s history, the fun way. Facts about life in Elizabethan England bring the time period to life and help us realize that even if we can’t know much about Will for sure, we can at least settle his context pretty firmly.
 
Roman Numerals I to MM by Arthur Geisert was a slightly silly take on learning Roman numerals. Each page features pigs on their farm, and helps young readers learn Roman numeral values by counting the pigs. It’s funny, but hopefully effective. Worth a try if number games are something your child likes.
 
I’m already a Shakespeare fan, so I’m easy to please with books about the Bard. But Will’s Words by Jane Sutcliffe was truly a lot of fun. Vivid illustrations are paired with explanations of words and phrases coined by Shakespeare. With citations from the plays in which they appear, each word or phrase is defined and given context. Add this to your list when we reach our Shakespeare studies in the coming year.
 
My ten-year-old did a preview read of The Sword in the Tree by Clyde Robert Bulla for me. He assessed it as perfect for upper elementary, with large text, short chapters and some occasional illustrations. It’s a story set in the time of King Arthur and would make a great leisure read for students studying medieval times. A fun piece of old literature about even older times.
 
Everyday Life in Bible Times by John A. Beck provided helpful information on ancient pottery making for my ten-year-old’s research speech this spring. It also looked like a promising resource for information on many aspects of the biblical time period. Topics are arranged alphabetically and include things like Engrave, Sacred Stone, Smelt, Stiff-Necked, and Yoke. Though I’m truly glad this is available at the library, this is also a book worthy of a permanent spot on any bookshelf.
 
And finally, an un-recommendation. I started Kathleen Krull’s Leonardo da Vinci with high hopes. It looked just right for middle grade: beefier chapters than a picture book, but not too overwhelming. I had only reached chapter four, though, when things took a turn. The chapter outlines da Vinci’s arrest for homosexuality, even implying that his arrest (if such an arrest occurred) was unfair. While I have no knowledge of da Vinci’s innocence or guilt in this matter, the fact that it appears in a book for ten-year-olds alarms me. My takeaway from all this was the importance of pre-reading (or at least pre-skimming) the books we give to our children. It is not enough for a book to check all the boxes externally. If the worldview of its author and publisher are not aligned with your own, you will want to assess what your child is being fed. We make choices every day about which snacks our children get, which produce to buy, which ice cream brand, which cereal. I remind you, even as I remind myself, to research just as much about the mental diet we provide for our kids.
 
Soon, the library will have these books back on their shelves. Until then, a library of my own is sprouting up in the dining room!

Book lovers often have a problem: not enough shelves. This becomes a compounded issue when a book lover decides that one edition of a prized book is not enough. No, having two different versions would be better. Or even three.
 
For some books, of course, this does not apply. But when it comes to classics of which editions abound or to collections of stories or poetry, the options can sometimes be too vast to settle on just one. In today’s issue of Endpapers, I suggest a few specific collections of which it is well worth having more than one.
 
Aesop’s Fables.
You can get a cheap paperback of Aesop’s fables anywhere. You can probably also find more than one illustrated option at your local bookstore. But with a classic like Fables, images matter. Despite individual preference, some illustrations stand above the rest. Here are a few collections of Aesop’s Fables in which the illustrations aid in the telling of the story, and will help the lesson of the fable to linger.
 
A Classic Illustrated Edition from Chronicle Books.
With illustrations by such renowned artists as Arthur Rackham and Milo Winter, this collection includes a wide variety of styles. Some are black and white; others are full color. Some are realistic, while others are caricatures. The assortment reminds us that these stories bridge time and place and are applicable wherever people and their animal counterparts dwell.
 
Illustrated by Heidi Holder.
Holder’s illustrations are richly detailed, soft in color, and include intricate decorative borders. Some span two pages. This collection does not include a large number of fables (only nine), but the illustrations are quite pleasant.
 
Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.
Pinkney was a prolific illustrator who just died in 2021. His work is usually watercolor, and captures movement even in its stillness. This collection is extensive, with more than 50 fables, and quite enjoyable, though some fables do not get a whole illustration of their own.
 
Illustrated by Charles Santore.
These illustrations are distinctly more modern, with less fine detail and more striking colors. But they are memorable images and capture each fable well. This collection includes twenty-four fables, each one with its own illustration.
 
A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Every child should own a personal copy of this collection. The poems capture a time in history, as well as a time in a child’s life. Wishes for growing up, playing with neighbors and siblings, sick days, going to bed, imaginary worlds, and the changing of the seasons: all are explored with the tender insight of a child. A collection of poems like this can stand alone, but it will adhere to a child’s heart all the more permanently if it is accompanied by beautiful pictures. I recommend the three following collections. One of my favorite things is looking up the same poem in all three collections and exploring how each artist imagined the scene in her own way.
 
Illustrations by Tasha Tudor.
The copy of this at our house is inscribed from a friend of my mom’s at the baby shower before I was born. What a treasure. Tasha Tudor is one of America’s finest illustrators, and every child should enjoy her homey artwork.
 
Illustrations by Jessie Willcox Smith
This collection has fewer total illustrations. Many are small black and white images accompanying a poem, but a few full color plates are scattered throughout as well. Willcox Smith is another American illustrator, about a generation before Tasha Tudor. Her paintings are full of light and her drawings, though simple, capture the magic of childhood.
 
Illustrations by Gyo Fujikawa
You’ll probably recognize Fujikawa’s illustrative style. It’s more similar to a cartoon than any of the illustrators I’ve suggested so far, but it has a seriousness that elevates it from the sillier types of picture book illustrations. This collection has some black and white pictures and some color ones.
 
If your shelves are too full to bear the burden of another of these collections, you’re in luck: Most of these can be easily checked out from your library!