In our forward march through many of Lobel’s many books, we come to a couple of collections: Fables and A Book of Pigericks.

Fables is one of Lobel’s modern classics, and it won a Caldecott Medal for illustration. It features twenty original one-page fables, each featuring animals, a moral, and the light, humorous tone (which is at the same time soft and subtly dark) we have come to expect from Lobel. They also each feature a one-page illustration imbued with muted, sparkling colors and funny situations. This is another Lobel book to add to your collection, although some of the fables are kinda weird. My kids used to read these out to each other before bed, just because they loved this book, and I give it a less-enthusiastic A.

On the other hand, The Book of Pigericks is pretty terrible. I have come to love Lobel, but this book starts with an odd concept and then delivers on mediocre poetry and confusing characters. In desperation, Lobel uses a number of odd place names to create rhyme, giving the whole book a feel of rushed ridiculousness. Nope.