Pretty picture books

Since starting this blog I've been noticing things in my home that I'm so glad to have around me- things that I got because they inspired me, made me want to make something, made me smile. Well, today's discovery was one of my kids' books, The Aesop For Children illustrated by Milo Winter. I've been collecting children's books for years, especially ones with beautiful illustrations. I call them "pretty picture books". Some of my most treasured books are ones like The Velveteen Rabbit and Iron Hans because they have such beautiful, glowing artwork.

Tonight my daughter was flipping through this book of fables and kept asking me questions like, "Mommy, why is that pig crying?", or "Mommy, why does that man look so mean?" She was enthralled with the illustrations in the book, so finally I had to borrow (read "snatch") it from her and have a look at it myself. I'd never really looked through it before and discovered that it's just gorgeous! I snapped some photos of a few of my favorite drawings to share with you. Honestly, I could have included every page here because each fable has a wonderful drawing to go along with it, but my batteries started to die before I even got halfway through the book. But here--look, admire, sigh. :)

The Frogs Who Wished For a King

The Lion and the Gnat

The Owl and the Grasshopper

The Owl and the Grasshopper

The Peacock

The Rose and the Butterfly

The Town Mouse and the City Mouse

The Vain Jackdaw and His Borrowed Feathers

Someday I'll figure out how to get these images enlarged and framed for my kids' bedroom walls. You can see the entire book here and view all the pretty pictures as well, but I'd really recommend getting your very own copy to moon over.