Lesser-Known Facts About The ‘Little Golden Books’ That Have Us Re-Thinking The Nostalgic Series

The Little Golden Books series has been a huge part of our childhoods since it launched in the 1940s. It’s hard not to get a little misty-eyed thinking back on our time with them! But once you get past the nostalgia, there’s a lot of intrigue hiding behind those vintage golden spines. Let’s dive into some of the lesser-known facts about the iconic collection right here.

1. The series changed the concept of kids’ books

Today, most children’s picture books have a fairly low page-count, making them accessible to their target audience. That wasn’t the case in the past, though: older illustrated works were usually sold in thick tomes that contained elaborate images. The prices were also quite steep, and you could only buy them at specialist bookstores. It was far from ideal.

A significant partnership

But there was eventually a major shift after Western Publishing teamed up with Simon & Schuster. Together, the two firms collaborated to produce a new collection of kids’ books that were less pricey and more manageable. They didn’t want them to be exclusive to bookstores, either. So yes, that’s what led to the birth of Little Golden Books. The series changed the landscape forever!

2. The first Little Golden Books

Following a lot of hard work by Simon & Schuster and Western Publishing, a release date was finally penciled in for their new series. Little Golden Books made its bow in October 1942, and it wasn’t just one or two volumes hitting the shelves. In total, 12 different stories were released at the same time. People couldn’t complain about a lack of choice!

Notable titles

Some of the titles from that batch included The Poky Little Puppy, Bedtime Stories, This Little Piggy, The Alphabet A-Z, and The Little Red Hen. Each book came in hardback, while the page-count sat at 42. As for the pricing, folks had to pay 25 cents to get their hands on the individual stories. In today’s money, that’s the equivalent of just under $5.