4.23.2013

Childcraft Library, Poems and Rhymes, Volume 1


I'm turning once again to my trusty Childcraft Library which is chock full of great vintage illustrations from many beloved illustrators of the past. 


The combination of photograph and illustration is kitschy and sweet. I have to say as the mother of four that I don't recall many photographic moments like this lol. Illustration by Eloise Wilken and photo from Tell City Chair Company.


This one isn't too hard to guess. Pen and ink work by Garth Williams with his distinctive gentle animals and characters.


This one I wouldn't have guessed. My first thought was Feodor Rojankovsky as the illustrator, but it's not. Anyone care to guess?


I also wouldn't have been able to guess this one, though I love his work. The illustrator is Nicolas Mordvinoff.


Illustrator is Eraldo Carugati - anyone familiar with this artist?


Artwork by Hope Taylor from Highway, Byway and City Rhymes


Art by Vladimir Bobri


Wonderful illustration by Maurice Sendak


The distinctive work of Virginia Lee Burton


Illustrator Ezra Jack Keats

The Little Land

When at home alone I sit,
And am very tired of it,
I have just to shut my eyes
To go sailing through the skies--
To go sailing far way
To the pleasant Land of Play.

By Robert Louis Stevenson

To view previous Childcraft posts go here, here, here, here or here.
To view images from the above posts on Pinterest, go here.

Childcraft
The How and Why Library
Volume 1, Poems and Rhymes
Field Enterprises Educational Corporation
1972 Edition

15 comments:

  1. Oh, Childcraft was so awesome! I've been looking at all your previous entries on it too, consistently top-class illustrations!! We had a set from sometime in the mid-1960's and I treasure it... especially the Make-and-Do volume (it made me what I am today! Whatever that is...)
    ;-)))

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  2. Thanks for your comment Maral, I totally agree, the illustrations are top notch!

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  3. I've got the Childcraft Poems of Early Childhood and use it for singing poetry to kids all the time. What a wonderful book that is. This looks great, too! Thanks for introducing me to more singable possibilities! Best wishes, Emily G. (Sing Books with Emily)

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  4. Love the Nicolas Mordvinoff illustration!

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  5. I loved Childcraft growing up and remember the Garth Williams drawing quite well. I happened upon your Gone Thrifting blog first so I was curious to see this one and I wasn't disappointed. Thank you for posting so many pictures of these sweet books. I need to find a set, our family set is long gone now!

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  6. You're quite welcome. Good luck finding a set!

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    1. Thanks for posting these pages, Jil. Very moving, as my mother was a sales manager for Worldbook-Childcraft (or Field Enterprises Ed. Corp., when she started, actually in 1972). We had our respective sets of Worldbook and Childcraft starting in 1968, I think, and that's where these volumes became standard fare at bedtime. My mother was very proud of these products. We all were.

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    2. My dad worked for World Book then owned by Field Enterprises who published Childcraft.

      Back than he made strictly commission and no milage which meant many weeks without a paycheck selling door to door,lol

      You can find sets often on EBay,I still have an unopened box but am not selling of the 40's and 50's edition.

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  7. It's great to find this blog. I have a 1974 set I found at a garage sale 5 years ago. As a child, we had the 1975 set, but the pictures are nearly identical. It's lovely to see more information and other pictures from the talented artists featured in the books here. Thank you for your hard work! :)

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  8. I have the complete 1954(orange) set in pristine condition.
    If you're interested, in the NY, CT area, just let me know.
    Otherwise, I can mail you pix of every volume.

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  9. Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it.

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  10. The full glance of your website is great, as neatly as the content material!

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  11. I like the helpful information you supply to your articles.

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  12. Does anyone recognize a poem with could it be Deborah in it? My mom and dad use to read me this poem at bedtime each night because my name is Deborah. I remember seeing a little blonde girl by the bedside. She had a nightgown on.

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