This series of books is designed for children just beginning to learn to read. It is expected that they can be read by the child, usually in the presence of an adult, because there may be some unfamiliar words. They offer vastly more interesting content than the books that the child is likely to bring home from school, and offer not only material for discussion with a parent or carer, but also serve as a springboard for craft and science activities. They will also be of interest to older children, and even adults, starting to learn English as a foreign language. The tradition of Aesop is of course very ancient; the oldest stories date back to around 600 BCE.