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75 Years of Children's Book Week Posters
From Jessie Willcox Smith and N. C. Wyeth to Maurice Sendak and Chris Van Allsburg, Children's Book Week posters tell the story of children's books in America. Here, in one glorious volume, are all sixty-nine posters, truly a celebration of great American children's book illustrators.
Over the last seventy-five years, Children's Book Week has grown from a modest grass-roots effort to the present-day nationwide annual celebration of literacy and the pleasures of reading. The posters, which are commissioned and distributed each year by the Children's Book Council, encourage reading by children and, in turn, reflect a nation struggling with the responsibility of educating its young. The history, social climate, and wider concerns of the country can be traced through the posters, from the idyllic scene of innocent childhood in Jessie Willcox Smith's poster for 1919 to the heroic stridency of the Petershams' image for 1940; from the first appearance of an African-American child in Adrienne Adams's poster for 1963 to the image of children protesting in Emily Arnold McCully's 1969 poster.
The posters also reflect the development and growth of the publishing industry. In 1919, books for children were a marginal part of publishing; the increased awareness of the importance of books, supported and encouraged by the Children's Book Council, has led, in part, to today's vital and independent children's book industry.
Some poster artists represented here are primarily children's book illustrators who, after appearing as poster artists, went on to win the Caldecott Medal - such as Maud and Miska Petersham, Marcia Brown, Alice and Martin Provensen, and Maurice Sendak. Others achieved fame in different Joseph Binder was an internationally renowned poster artist who also created the official poster for the 1939 New York World's Fair; Bruno Munari is, among other things, an industrial designer whose household objects are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art; and Paul Rand is one of the country's foremost practitioners and teachers of graphic design.
An introduction by noted historian, biographer, and critic Leonard S. Marcus provides a fascinating and involving look at the history of children's books. He chronicles America's idea of childhood as reflected by the range of books available to children and in the artists and images selected for the posters. And using the posters as guiding lights, he weaves the history of the nation and the industry into a cohesive whole. His fascinating captions for each of the sixty-nine posters provide detailed and little-known facts about the artists.
Over the last seventy-five years, Children's Book Week has grown from a modest grass-roots effort to the present-day nationwide annual celebration of literacy and the pleasures of reading. The posters, which are commissioned and distributed each year by the Children's Book Council, encourage reading by children and, in turn, reflect a nation struggling with the responsibility of educating its young. The history, social climate, and wider concerns of the country can be traced through the posters, from the idyllic scene of innocent childhood in Jessie Willcox Smith's poster for 1919 to the heroic stridency of the Petershams' image for 1940; from the first appearance of an African-American child in Adrienne Adams's poster for 1963 to the image of children protesting in Emily Arnold McCully's 1969 poster.
The posters also reflect the development and growth of the publishing industry. In 1919, books for children were a marginal part of publishing; the increased awareness of the importance of books, supported and encouraged by the Children's Book Council, has led, in part, to today's vital and independent children's book industry.
Some poster artists represented here are primarily children's book illustrators who, after appearing as poster artists, went on to win the Caldecott Medal - such as Maud and Miska Petersham, Marcia Brown, Alice and Martin Provensen, and Maurice Sendak. Others achieved fame in different Joseph Binder was an internationally renowned poster artist who also created the official poster for the 1939 New York World's Fair; Bruno Munari is, among other things, an industrial designer whose household objects are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art; and Paul Rand is one of the country's foremost practitioners and teachers of graphic design.
An introduction by noted historian, biographer, and critic Leonard S. Marcus provides a fascinating and involving look at the history of children's books. He chronicles America's idea of childhood as reflected by the range of books available to children and in the artists and images selected for the posters. And using the posters as guiding lights, he weaves the history of the nation and the industry into a cohesive whole. His fascinating captions for each of the sixty-nine posters provide detailed and little-known facts about the artists.
- GenresArtNonfiction
74 pages, Hardcover
First published August 23, 1994
About the author
Leonard S. Marcus
71 books72 followersLeonard S. Marcus is one of the world's leading writers about children's books and their illustrations. His many books include The Wand in the Word: Conversations with Writers of Fantasy; Funny Business: Conversations with Writers of Comedy; Dear Genius; and others. His essays, interviews, and reviews appear in the New York Times Book Review, among other publications. Leonard S. Marcus lives in Brooklyn.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 12, 2017
I found this adult book lost in the shelves of the children's section of a university library. I remember being stimulated by Book Week in grade school -- at least, I think this was the event. An assortment of inexpensive books was available for sale at the school library and children had the opportunity to make their own selections.
It turns out that Children's Book Week was started a long time ago, in 1919, by reformers who were concerned that not enough children were getting the chance to read books. Very few bookstores even sold children's books except before Christmas. Public libraries didn't have children's sections. I am told that Japanese bookstores regularly sold children's books more than a century earlier than that.
The posters, which were displayed in schools, libraries, bus stations, and other public places, were commissioned from established book illustrators, including such notables as N. C. Wyeth and Maurice Sendak. Some of the illustrations show exciting scenes (sometimes popping into or out of books before delighted children's eyes), while others reflect concerns of the day (the 1940 poster shows marching children with book-holding hands raised high; the 1969 poster shows a child organizing a "Book Power" rally). Some are winsome. While one might be tempted to skip past the introduction by Leonard Marcus, it is worth reading, as it amounts to a history of children's book publishing in the United States for the past century. Altogether, this makes a splendid book that should inspire artists.
It turns out that Children's Book Week was started a long time ago, in 1919, by reformers who were concerned that not enough children were getting the chance to read books. Very few bookstores even sold children's books except before Christmas. Public libraries didn't have children's sections. I am told that Japanese bookstores regularly sold children's books more than a century earlier than that.
The posters, which were displayed in schools, libraries, bus stations, and other public places, were commissioned from established book illustrators, including such notables as N. C. Wyeth and Maurice Sendak. Some of the illustrations show exciting scenes (sometimes popping into or out of books before delighted children's eyes), while others reflect concerns of the day (the 1940 poster shows marching children with book-holding hands raised high; the 1969 poster shows a child organizing a "Book Power" rally). Some are winsome. While one might be tempted to skip past the introduction by Leonard Marcus, it is worth reading, as it amounts to a history of children's book publishing in the United States for the past century. Altogether, this makes a splendid book that should inspire artists.
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June 23, 2025There are some really fun designs here, and reading it gives one the sweep of how designs and taste around picture books have changed over the decades. It was really fun to see favourite authors and illustrators make appearances. I would have loved to have tracked down the updated 100 year anthology but alas, no local library carried it.
July 11, 2020
Such terrific information is included along with the first 75 years of Children’s Book Week Posters. I found the brief biographical tidbits fascinating.
June 29, 2009
While Leonard Marcus has written knowledgeably and extensively about the intersection of children's book publishing and American culture, this book is my favorite. The introduction is as concise a discussion of children's book publishing history as I've seen, and the annual Book Week posters give additional evidence of what Marcus is saying in the text. The artists, both well-known and lesser-known, come from all over the world, and the images, like children's books, are clearly a product of their times (for example, a militaristic looking parade of children marching with books outstretched, almost like a Nazi salute, in 1940). Fascinating!
September 20, 2011
the san francisco main library has this in their reference collection, (just past the 50+ translations of harry potter).
great book! some of the posters are kinda of scary-v.totalitarian images, others i want for my wall.
great book! some of the posters are kinda of scary-v.totalitarian images, others i want for my wall.
February 26, 2011
I love all these posters encouraging kids to read, by all the big names in children's illustrations.
May 6, 2012
This book inspired the Reading Frenzy print series!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews