American children of the 70's and young parents probably know all about the Little Golden Book series. The really hip kids read TINY Golden Books... 12 Nonsense Stories and a 24 book Tiny Golden Library were printed around 1948 that make a very neat addition to a child's book collection. All written by Dorothy Kunhardt (of Pat the Bunny fame) and illustrated by Garth Williams (Little Fur Family, Charlotte's Web etc)Had not seen these until last week junking around a very cool shop in Manchester, Vermont; The Smokin' Trout -filled with vintage fishing lures and angling paraphernalia, old baseball gloves/cricket balls/sterling knickknacks, new and reconditioned pipes, and big jars of tobacco. Worthy of a whole post really... Anyhow, picked up Shame On You Baby Whale. Nautical images + woodgrain cover = buy I guess.
These cardboard children's books measure just 3" by 2" and contain stories of animals learning lessons about manners usually. You can get full sets of each for around $100. As another writer has noted; But the most important aspect of the book was its tiny size. They were made to fit in a five-year-old's hand. This made the experience of reading the book, or having the book read to you, extremely tactile. This was especially poignant when my father would read the books to us, his giant hands suddenly becoming awkward as he handled the delicate pages. The books rendered the child the center of the experience, the master of the book. And to a five-year-old it is a magical experience. -Adrienne
