Friday, March 20, 2015

@VickiBatman - The artwork of #LittleGoldenBooks , an exhibit #MFRWorg #RLFblog #childrensbooks

As the self-appointed cultural guide in my family, I’m always looking for something for us to do. An ad in my local paper’s weekend section featured an exhibit coming to town entitled: Golden Legacy: Original Art from 65 years of Little Golden Books
I had to go. I read and owned several of these books when I was little and even bought them for my sons.  I had to take advantage of this enriching opportunity and take Handsome. Handsome was reluctant. But I plied him with his favorite hamburger and off we went. Disapointed?  Heck, no!


The exhibition presented the most extensive public showing ever of original illustration art from the Little Golden Books which celebrated its 65th anniversary in 2007.  (I apologize for glare on some photos.)


In 1942, the Little Golden Books were made available at very affordable prices—initially 25cents. Some of the artists included Garth Williams, Feodor Rojankovsky, Tibor Gergely, Gustaf Tenggren, Martin Provensen, J. P. Miller, and Mary Blair (think Disney’s It’s a Small World!). Other artists from America were Eloise Wilkin, Elizabeth Orton Jones, Richard Scarry, and Hilary Knight.








These books changed publishing forever. Not only did wehave the beloved and familiar books, we had various formats like records, tapes, videos, toys and games. 

Stories covered nature and science, the Biblenursery rhymes, and fairy tales. Christmas titles are popular every year. Many old titles, which are still available, show the strong nostalgia appeal of Little Golden Books. The first twelve books are:  
Three Little Kittens  
Bedtime Stories 
Mother Goose 
Prayers for Children 
The Little Red Hen 
Nursery Songs 
The Alphabet from A to Z 
The Poky Little Puppy 
The Golden Book of Fairy Tales 
Baby's Book of Objects 
The Animals of Farmer Jones 
This Little Piggy and Other Counting Rhymes


For a list of the 800 Little Golden Book titles, go here: LGB list

As Handsome and I wandered through the exhibit, we found many selections we remembered from our childhood: The Pokey Little Puppy, Tootle, Home for a Bunny. The art work was truly amazing. 
 
Did you have Little Golden Book/s when you were little?

4 comments:

Angela Adams said...

I still have my tattered copy of "The Poky Little Puppy."

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

Hi, Angela! What a wonderful treasure. I wish I could remember what I had. I only have a hazy memory of a red Santa dancing on the cover with red surrounding him. Hugs!

Unknown said...

Vicki, I mentioned this on your FB page. I had the most amazing collection of Golden Books for my kids. And what made me almost as happy as reading to them for years, was donating them to our day care center so lots of other children could enjoy them.

To be sure, Angela ... "The Poky Little Puppy" was a favorite :)

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

Hi, Florence! You did say so. I wish I had your collection. I didn't have that many when growing up. I would love to read them all. Hugs!