Perfectly Sized for Little Hands

When I was young I had a cousin who lived about 45 minutes away. It was fun to go for sleepovers. Part of that was because she had an amazing number of Little Golden Books-all lined up at the front of her bed-inside a bookcase-type headboard. Those books were perfectly sized for little hands when lying in bed pretending to read.

Before computers, illustrating anything relied solely on the original artwork. There was nothing called photo shop. Nothing was digitally adjusted because digital did not exist. In my opinion, this resulted in softer-more enticing artwork. They each had their own feel. They ignited imaginations. At least they did mine! I loved that Roly Poly Puppy trying to get under the fence and Nurse Nancy who loved playing nurse. I wanted all the little animals in Baby Farm Animals. Tootle-the little engine who went to school to learn how to be an engine-was a favorite. I feared that wolf in The Three Little Pigs, worried about Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks. Nothing teaches a lesson of self-worth more than Scuffy the Tugboat but as a kid, I didn't realize that and The Fire Engine Book made me feel like I was riding along with those adorable firemen and their Dalmatian. To me, the most amazing Little Golden Books remain the Christmas stories written by now famous writers of now heartwarming Christmas classics. Clement C. Moore's "The Night Before Christmas" and Robert May's, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" have withstood the test of time and computers-as has Frosty the Snowman.

 Actually all those Little Golden Books have withstood the test of time. Many remain on my bookshelf where both my children enjoyed 'reading' them or having them read to them. Now it's the next generation-sitting in front of all those books lined up on shelves and pulling them out until they surround her-and then searching through the little pages and discovering a roly poly puppy-a little nurse named Nancy-those  little pigs or those fuzzy, cuddly baby farm animals or two little kids following a bread trail trying to get back home-and those Christmas Classics. So while they may be little-Golden Books have made a huge impact on generations, and that in itself is no small task!

Comments

  1. Henny PennyDecember 20, 2013 at 4:10 PM

    I too love the Little Golden Books. Once in a while I find one in a thrift store and I have to buy it. Both my daughter's favorite was "Mrs. Hen Goes to Market". I must have read that book a hundred times.

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