Little Golden Books
Little Golden Books is an American series of children's books, published since 1942. The Poky Little Puppy, the eighth release in the series, is the top-selling children's book of all time in the United States.[1] Many other Little Golden Books have become bestsellers,[1] including Tootle, Scuffy the Tugboat, The Little Red Hen, and Doctor Dan the Bandage Man.
For other uses, see Golden Book.Author
United States
English
- Simon & Schuster (1942–1958)
- Western Publishing (1942–2001)
- Golden Press (1958–2001)
- Penguin Random House (2001–present)
1942–present
hardcover
Several of its illustrators later became influential within the children's book industry, including Corinne Malvern, Tibor Gergely, Gustaf Tenggren, Feodor Rojankovsky, Richard Scarry, Eloise Wilkin, and Garth Williams. Many books in the Little Golden Books series deal with nature, science, Bible stories, nursery rhymes, and fairy tales. Christmas titles are published every year.
Some Little Golden Books and related products have featured popular characters from other media, such as Cartoon Network, Disney, Looney Tunes, The Muppets, Sesame Street, Sonic the Hedgehog, Barbie, Power Rangers, Thomas the Tank Engine, and others. Film, television, and movie properties have been particularly popular source material. Hopalong Cassidy, Cheyenne, Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, Captain Kangaroo, Mister Rogers, and Donny and Marie Osmond have appeared in Little Golden Books. The line has also published occasional biographies; examples include Betty White, Dolly Parton and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The series started with publishing firm Simon & Schuster; Western Printing and Lithographing Company in Racine, Wisconsin was Simon & Schuster's partner in the Little Golden Books venture, with Western handling print operations. Ownership and control of the series have changed several times since; today, Penguin Random House is its current publisher.
Despite changes in detail, the Little Golden Books maintain a distinctive appearance. A copy of The Poky Little Puppy bought today is essentially the same as one printed in 1942. Both are readily recognizable as Little Golden Books. At the time of the series' golden anniversary in 1992, Golden Books claimed that a billion and a half Little Golden Books had been sold.[2] Although the Little Golden Books have remained the backbone of the product line, the enterprise that produced them has created a variety of children's books in various forms of media, including records, tapes, videos, and toys and games. Some titles have appeared in several different formats (including "A Golden Book").