What is the role of animals in literature for kids in the sixteenth up to nineteenth century, based on Aesop, La Fontaine and Perrault?

The genre of children's literature only surfaced in the eighteenth century; prior to this period, there were fables, fairytales, ballads, etc. that children read or had parents read for them, but these titles were published both for children and adults. Otherwise, published content specifically for children was limited to educational and instructional materials.
Aesop's Fables are credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller from ancient Greece. In 1484, the first printed version of Aesop's stories was published by William Caxton, a merchant, writer, and printer who translated them into English. For several hundred years, the fables were largely directed at adults, until the nineteenth century saw publications such as Jefferys Taylor's Aesop in Rhyme (1820) and the illustrated Aesop's fables: a new version, chiefly from original sources (1848) by Thomas James. The personification of animals, rhyming and rhythmic verse, and images (James's edition) kept children engaged in the storylines, conveying religious themes and lessons on honesty, hard work, dedication, and happiness.
La Fontaine's Fables, published in French between 1668 and 1694, included works by Aesop and a wide variety of Western and Eastern sources. Originally directed at adults, they were later re-written and became required educational materials for children in the eighteenth century. La Fontaine's Fables are known for their humor and easily memorized verses, which aided educational instruction. The stories also featured personification of animals, engaging imagery, and moral teachings.
Perrault is considered to have created the fairy tale genre in the seventeenth century, through stories derived from earlier folk tales. His best known works, versions of which continue to resonate in the modern age, include Cendrillon (Cinderella), Le Petit Chaperon Rouge (Little Red Riding Hood), and La Belle au bois Dormant (The Sleeping Beauty). These stories were not originally dedicated to children specifically, and influenced the fairytales of the Brothers Grimm published in the following century. Fairy tales did not possess the same instructional elements as fables; rather, they stimulated children's imaginations and encouraged abstract thinking.