'This Little Golden Book Belongs To…” Music to a child’s ears. Remember writing your name on the inside cover?
Little Golden Books is celebrating 75 years as a mainstay of children’s home libraries. This iconic series has kept generations of little ones engaged with its imaginative illustrations and engaging, playful words.
Little Golden Books is celebrating 75 years as a mainstay of children’s home libraries. This iconic series has kept generations of little ones engaged with its imaginative illustrations and engaging, playful words.
The University of Michigan received an endowment of thousands upon thousands of children’s books, including hundreds of Little Golden Books form a private donor. Now it houses one of the most extensive collections of children’s books in the country. Laura Cotton, the Art Director at the Alfred Berkowitz Gallery, brought an exhibition which features original artwork from iconic Little Golden Books.
The opening reception for the “Golden Legacy” exhibition featured Diane Muldrow, editor of Little Golden Books at Random House. She spoke at length about the history of the books, the authors, illustrators and what the books mean to her. It was an honor to have her there and listen as she spoke about these sweet books.
The books found their way into the hands of children everywhere.
The books found their way into the hands of children everywhere.
A Revolution
The launch of Little Golden Books in 1942 October was a revolution. It was in the midst of WW II, and Western Printers was busy printing for the war, so they took it upon themselves to print books because they had high paper rations. The company started out with 12 titles, one of which- The Poky Little Puppy, remains in print today.
The launch of Little Golden Books in 1942 October was a revolution. It was in the midst of WW II, and Western Printers was busy printing for the war, so they took it upon themselves to print books because they had high paper rations. The company started out with 12 titles, one of which- The Poky Little Puppy, remains in print today.
The Mavericks
The Mavericks of Little Golden Books were many.
Take Jane Warner Watson, who received a phone call telling her to move to NYC because the editor there was called off to war. She did. And in doing so, became one of the first editors at the publishing house, penning numerous titles during her time there.
Margaret Wise Brown noted that kids were more interested in what's happening on their block than anywhere else. So she championed for subjects of books to become more kid-friendly. She focused on subjects
that happened in the neighborhood and around town: a home being built, the postman delivering mail and shopping at the grocery store.
Mary Blair gave was employed to give Little Golden Books street cred. As the story goes, librarians thought Little Golden Books were déclassé and touted them as such. In order to appease the bibliophile set, Blair brought the Bank Street name and her artistic talent to Golden Books, illustrating “I Can Fly” in her much lauded, often copied conceptual style.
Diane Muldrow is now one of these mavericks, working to keep Golden Books relevant, while walking the line between keeping content classic and fresh. She releases 18 titles a year, seeking out modern illustrators to engage today’s kids, while reissuing favorite old titles as well.
The Mavericks of Little Golden Books were many.
Take Jane Warner Watson, who received a phone call telling her to move to NYC because the editor there was called off to war. She did. And in doing so, became one of the first editors at the publishing house, penning numerous titles during her time there.
Margaret Wise Brown noted that kids were more interested in what's happening on their block than anywhere else. So she championed for subjects of books to become more kid-friendly. She focused on subjects
that happened in the neighborhood and around town: a home being built, the postman delivering mail and shopping at the grocery store.
Mary Blair gave was employed to give Little Golden Books street cred. As the story goes, librarians thought Little Golden Books were déclassé and touted them as such. In order to appease the bibliophile set, Blair brought the Bank Street name and her artistic talent to Golden Books, illustrating “I Can Fly” in her much lauded, often copied conceptual style.
Diane Muldrow is now one of these mavericks, working to keep Golden Books relevant, while walking the line between keeping content classic and fresh. She releases 18 titles a year, seeking out modern illustrators to engage today’s kids, while reissuing favorite old titles as well.
The show itself features the work of famed illustrators everyone is certain to recognize, the gorgeous artwork framed against a modern backdrop of wood panels. Ms. Muldrow curated the exhibit, and selected 65 pieces of art that will delight your eyes and warm your heart. The illustrations were unbelievable- you can see eraser marks, re-touches of paint and even cut-outs the illustrators swapped in when they made a mistake. That’s probably the greatest part of the exhibit— the mistakes you can see with your own eyes on these magnificent pieces of richly-colored paper.
I am totally embarrassed to admit that I was teary-eyed as I walked from piece to piece. The illustrations were beyond gorgeous and more amazing than I ever dreamt possible. And yes, I have dreamed about these pictures while turning the pages of my books. After all, my dream house is in there somewhere.
