Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Friday, July 29, 2011

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Leonard Marcus, author of “Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children’s Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever and Became an American Icon along the Way,” spoke to FCPS library media specialists at their kickoff meeting.

Library media specialists, preparing for the start of school, paused to step back into their own childhoods as they learned the story behind the beloved Little Golden Books.

At their annual kickoff meeting, the FCPS staffers heard from children’s literature historian Leonard Marcus, author of “Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children’s Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever and Became an American Icon along the Way.”

Lisa Spaulding, who works at Sandersville Elementary, bought two autographed copies – one for herself and one for her mother – and fondly recalled the now-classic series.

“When I was little, I remember my mom reading them to me,” she said.

Spaulding also marveled at the “intergenerational goldmine” on display at the Lexington Public Library. The traveling exhibit, which will be in town through Sept. 4, is the largest public showing of original illustration art from the picture-book series.

“Golden Books are the most popular children’s books ever published in America,” Marcus reminded the school employees. “They got into everyone’s homes.”

Launched in 1942 amid the backdrop of World War II, Little Golden Books made high-quality picture books affordable, averaging 25 cents apiece. With fathers away at war and Eleanor Roosevelt urging mothers to read as a comfort, “they were just what American children needed.”

Marcus skimmed through decades of developments, citing the pipeline from Walt Disney’s stable of artists, the publisher’s marketing prowess and the evolution of storylines. For instance, one book was re-illustrated to portray the mother as visibly pregnant, which was crucial to the plot.

“Times change, and children’s books are a wonderful mirror on those changes,” he said.

The exhibition features 60 masterpieces from the Random House archives, with art examples from “The Poky Little Puppy,” “The Color Kittens,” “I Can Fly” and dozens more.

Tom Buchanan, who works at Bryan Station High School, likes using exhibits in libraries – in fact, he’s thinking of putting together a display of old computers.

He also liked this year’s revamped format of the kickoff gathering, which included colleagues strategically grouped at lunch tables for effective networking.

“We kind of see how other high school librarians are doing things,” he said. “There are great ideas out there.”