Family & Social Life

Original cover artwork for the book We Help Daddy, written by Mini Stein with illustrations by Eloise Wilkin, and published by Western Publishing Company, Inc. in New York, New York, in 1962.

A Graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, Eloise Wilkin (1904-1987) studied illustration. In her early years she worked as a freelance artist in New York City, illustrating schoolbooks for children learning to read, paper dolls and puzzles. She was married and raising a family in upstate New York when she started working from home creating illustrations for Little Golden Books in 1946. A prolific illustrator, Wilkin's work is easily identifiable for her adorable images of children with round faces and rosy pink cheeks. It is reported that she modeled her characters on her own family members and friends. Her beautifully detailed settings and backgrounds demonstrate her meticulous research and attention to detail. Her depiction of the idyllic home and family life reflected the post war optimism of the 1950s. She worked for Little Golden Books until 1984 and continued to design dolls for Vogue and Madame Alexander.

A stalwart Catholic, Wilkins was much attuned to the awakening social conscious of the 1960s. In 1964, the National Urban League, headed up by Whitney Young, brought attention to what he considered a fundamental omission on the part of the juvenile publishing world who he accused of racial stereotyping. Indeed, there were no children of color depicted in this vast category of books, but Eleanor Wilkin was one of the first illustrators to include an integrated classroom in We Like Kindergarten.

Original artwork, of page 20, for the book New Brother New Sister, written by Jean Fielder with illustrations by Joan Esley, and published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1966.

Marjorie Joan Esley (1904-2000) was born in upstate New York and showed a proficiency for art at a young age. She attended the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute (now known as RIT) and the Grand Central School of Art in New York City. During her time at RIT she became close friends with a fellow student, Eloise Wilkin, who also became an illustrator for Little Golden Books. Esley, worked as a freelance artist illustrating children’s readers for school textbooks, as well as drawing for the Girl Scout Magazine and the Post. Esley contracted with Little Golden Books to work on New Brother, New Sister and Play Street, both written by Esther Wilkin, sister-in-law of fellow illustrator, Eloise Wilkin. In addition to her work as an illustrator, Esley went on to author and illustrate several books of her own.

The concept of the "here and now” as seen in New Brother, New Sister, was Golden Books attempt to introduce and link children to everyday life experiences. Promoted in home advice columns as well as advertisements, this book and others like The New Baby, were early attempts to help 2-5-year old children welcome the new sibling to the family. The theories behind progressive education stressed the need for intellectual, personal and emotional development in order to create a well-rounded individual.

Original artwork, of page 22, for the book New Brother New Sister, written by Jean Fielder with illustrations by Joan Esley, and published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1966.

Marjorie Joan Esley (1904-2000) was born in upstate New York and showed a proficiency for art at a young age. She attended the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute (now known as RIT) and the Grand Central School of Art in New York City. During her time at RIT she became close friends with a fellow student, Eloise Wilkin, who also became an illustrator for Little Golden Books. Esley, worked as a freelance artist illustrating children’s readers for school textbooks, as well as drawing for the Girl Scout Magazine and the Post. Esley contracted with Little Golden Books to work on New Brother, New Sister and Play Street, both written by Esther Wilkin, sister-in-law of fellow illustrator, Eloise Wilkin. In addition to her work as an illustrator, Esley went on to author and illustrate several books of her own.

The concept of the "here and now” as seen in New Brother, New Sister, was Golden Books attempt to introduce and link children to everyday life experiences. Promoted in home advice columns as well as advertisements, this book and others like The New Baby, were early attempts to help 2-5-year old children welcome the new sibling to the family. The theories behind progressive education stressed the need for intellectual, personal and emotional development in order to create a well-rounded individual.

Original artwork, of pages 18 and 19, for the book We Help Daddy, written by Mini Stein with illustrations by Eloise Wilkin, and published by Western Publishing Company, Inc. in New York, New York, in 1962.

A Graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, Eloise Wilkin (1904-1987) studied illustration. In her early years she worked as a freelance artist in New York City, illustrating schoolbooks for children learning to read, paper dolls and puzzles. She was married and raising a family in upstate New York when she started working from home creating illustrations for Little Golden Books in 1946. A prolific illustrator, Wilkin's work is easily identifiable for her adorable images of children with round faces and rosy pink cheeks. It is reported that she modeled her characters on her own family members and friends. Her beautifully detailed settings and backgrounds demonstrate her meticulous research and attention to detail. Her depiction of the idyllic home and family life reflected the post war optimism of the 1950s. She worked for Little Golden Books until 1984 and continued to design dolls for Vogue and Madame Alexander.

A stalwart Catholic, Wilkins was much attuned to the awakening social conscious of the 1960s. In 1964, the National Urban League, headed up by Whitney Young, brought attention to what he considered a fundamental omission on the part of the juvenile publishing world who he accused of racial stereotyping. Indeed, there were no children of color depicted in this vast category of books, but Eleanor Wilkin was one of the first illustrators to include an integrated classroom in We Like Kindergarten.

This original artwork, for pages 2 and 3, was used for the book Bullwinkle, written by David Corwyn with illustrations by Hawley Pratt and Harry Garo. It was published by Little Golden Press, in 1962.

Hawley Pratt (1911-1999) was an illustrator, animator and film director. He began his career as an artist for Walt Disney Studios in 1933 and after the Disney animators’ strike in 1941, Pratt joined Warner Bros. Cartoons. While at Warner Bros., Pratt worked with renowned animator Isadore “Friz” Freleng on Freleng's Oscar-winning cartoons including Tweety Pie, Speedy Gonzalez and Birds Anonymous. Pratt is often credited as the creator of the animated Pink Panther character portrait. He later went on to direct or co-direct episodes of The Pink Panther cartoons for television.

Harry Garo (1923-1994) worked as an illustrator in 1926 for American Stories, the first American magazine devoted totally to Science Fiction. Known for its sensational covers, this series helped define the genre known as “pulp fiction,” named for the poor, irregular quality of the paper used for printing. In the early 1960s Garo worked on a few Golden Books with Hawley Pratt, including Bullwinkle, Bullwinkle the Hero and Bullwinkle and the Fireman. Garo also illustrated a series of books known as the VIP series, educational books for the juvenile reader exploring different occupations that deal with various modes of technology and transportation such as farmers, railroad engineers and bus drivers. He even illustrated a book for teaching students how to read a map.

Original artwork, of pages 8 and 9, for the book Huckleberry Hound written by Ann McGovern with illustrations by Al White, and published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1961.

Information on Al White is limited but we do know he worked at Disney at some point and was the “background” illustrator for Little Golden Books from 1959-1964. White’s illustrations for Little Golden Books includes, Top Cat, Ruff and Reddy and Bozo Finds a Friend.

The introduction of TV into the home had great impact on American society and culture, and its impact on Little Golden Books was no exception. In the 19th century consumer products such as toys, books and games were already used as a tie-in to historical events, sports and famous people, and this phenomenon was expanded with the introduction of radio, movies and television. These new means of communication generated a whole new cast of characters and the impact on Golden Books was significant. A license with Walt Disney granted Little Golden Books the right to publish stories about some of Disney’s earliest creations, including favorites such as Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo and Sleeping Beauty. Moreover, the books began to feature television personalities like Howdy Doody, Roy Rogers and Captain Kangaroo, as well as popular Saturday morning cartoon characters like Woody Woodpecker, Bugs Bunny and Huckleberry Hound. These new partnerships with Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera significantly reduced the development of original stories and instead the books featured stories taken from children’s television shows. This opened the flood gates to create consumer products associated with popular movie and cartoon personalities. This practice continues today and proves to be a very lucrative endeavor.

Make Way for the Thruway was written by Caroline Emerson with illustrations by Tibor Gergely, and published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1961.

Born into a middle-class Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary, Tibor Gergely (1900-1978) was captivated by art and culture at a young age. Known as a graphic illustrator and a caricature artist, Gergely’s early works documented Jewish life before the rise of Hitler. By 1939 the political situation in Europe was dire, and Gergely and his wife immigrated to America. They settled in New York and his love affair with the city never waned. He was enchanted with his new life in a postwar New York that included skyscrapers, rushing traffic and the excitement of life in the big city.

By 1940 Gergely was working for the American Artists and Writers Guild and became a popular illustrator for Little Golden Books, providing drawings for more than seventy books, including Tootle, Five Little Firemen, and Scuffy the Tugboat. His illustrations for The Taxi that Hurried and Make Way for the Thruway reflect the post war prosperity and idealism of the 1950s, including his portrayal of the celebrated automobile and the expanding highway system, both destined to bring dramatic social and cultural changes to American life.

Original artwork, of page 23, for the book New Brother New Sister, written by Jean Fielder with illustrations by Joan Esley, and published by Golden Press in New York, New York, in 1966.

Marjorie Joan Esley (1904-2000) was born in upstate New York and showed a proficiency for art at a young age. She attended the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute (now known as RIT) and the Grand Central School of Art in New York City. During her time at RIT she became close friends with a fellow student, Eloise Wilkin, who also became an illustrator for Little Golden Books. Esley, worked as a freelance artist illustrating children’s readers for school textbooks, as well as drawing for the Girl Scout Magazine and the Post. Esley contracted with Little Golden Books to work on New Brother, New Sister and Play Street, both written by Esther Wilkin, sister-in-law of fellow illustrator, Eloise Wilkin. In addition to her work as an illustrator, Esley went on to author and illustrate several books of her own.

The concept of the "here and now” as seen in New Brother, New Sister, was Golden Books attempt to introduce and link children to everyday life experiences. Promoted in home advice columns as well as advertisements, this book and others like The New Baby, were early attempts to help 2-5-year old children welcome the new sibling to the family. The theories behind progressive education stressed the need for intellectual, personal and emotional development in order to create a well-rounded individual.

This original artwork, for the title page and page 24, was used for the book Bullwinkle, written by David Corwyn with illustrations by Hawley Pratt and Harry Garo. It was published by Little Golden Press, in 1962.

Hawley Pratt (1911-1999) was an illustrator, animator and film director. He began his career as an artist for Walt Disney Studios in 1933 and after the Disney animators’ strike in 1941, Pratt joined Warner Bros. Cartoons. While at Warner Bros., Pratt worked with renowned animator Isadore “Friz” Freleng on Freleng's Oscar-winning cartoons including Tweety Pie, Speedy Gonzalez and Birds Anonymous. Pratt is often credited as the creator of the animated Pink Panther character portrait. He later went on to direct or co-direct episodes of The Pink Panther cartoons for television.

Harry Garo (1923-1994) worked as an illustrator in 1926 for American Stories, the first American magazine devoted totally to Science Fiction. Known for its sensational covers, this series helped define the genre known as “pulp fiction,” named for the poor, irregular quality of the paper used for printing. In the early 1960s Garo worked on a few Golden Books with Hawley Pratt, including Bullwinkle, Bullwinkle the Hero and Bullwinkle and the Fireman. Garo also illustrated a series of books known as the VIP series, educational books for the juvenile reader exploring different occupations that deal with various modes of technology and transportation such as farmers, railroad engineers and bus drivers. He even illustrated a book for teaching students how to read a map.