Issue XXIII

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!