Who doesn't love The Little Golden Books? I would guess that anyone whose childhood began after 1942 has owned and enjoyed at least a few of these popular children's books. Georges Duplaix had a dream of making available inexpensive children's books for the average family. At a time when children's books could cost as much as $3 each, the original Little Golden Books sold for a mere quarter a piece.
Duplaix and Simon and Schuster simultaneously printed the first twelve Little Golden Books in 1942. Those original books were 42 pages long and the list contains titles that are still popular today, such as The Pokey Little Puppy which is the top selling children's book of all time.
Collecting Little Golden Books is a relatively inexpensive hobby that provides the warm, fuzzy feelings of finding a favorite book from childhood and being able to share that book with the Little People in one's life.
The following is a list of the original titles in the series and while there are many reprints over the years, it's fun to keep one's eyes open for that elusive "first edition" print from 1942.
1. Three Little Kittens
2. Bedtime Stories
3. Mother Goose
4. Prayers for Children
5. The Little Red Hen
6. Nursery Songs
7. The Alphabet from A to Z
8. The Poky Little Puppy
9. The Golden Book of Fairy Tales
10. Baby's Book of Objects
11. The Animals of Farmer Jones
12. This Little Piggy and Other Counting Rhymes
2. Bedtime Stories
3. Mother Goose
4. Prayers for Children
5. The Little Red Hen
6. Nursery Songs
7. The Alphabet from A to Z
8. The Poky Little Puppy
9. The Golden Book of Fairy Tales
10. Baby's Book of Objects
11. The Animals of Farmer Jones
12. This Little Piggy and Other Counting Rhymes
While I have many, personal, Little Golden Book Favorites, what started me on the journey of collecting Little Golden Books was the memory of one book in particular I cherished as a child. The book was titled Indian Indian. While I vividly remembered the book, the pictures, and the story, I could not remember the title. It took me a good while and lots of research to come up with the title and during my research, I found the book to be one of the Little Golden Books that is now very difficult to find and expensive to purchase from dealers. However, I have not given up hope that one day I will find this book hidden in a box of Little Golden Books I purchase at an auction for next to nothing.
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| Photo Courtesy of Pinterest |
Do you have a favorite Little Golden Book?
Looking for additional information on collecting Little Golden Books? Check out the following links.