About a year ago, I happened across Eloise Wilkin Stories (Little Golden Book Treasury). I immediately bought it and tucked it away on the shelf in Caroline’s room until she was old enough to enjoy it. I brought it out last week when we purchased a couple of other Little Golden Books and Caroline was enthralled with them.
To say Caroline is obsessed with this book is not an overstatement. David has taken to hiding it for parts of the day so we get a break from reading it. Caroline loves books, but this one has kept her mesmerized since the first time we read it.
Eloise Wilkin Stories
This 205 page book is a collection of nine Eloise Wilkin stories. If you aren’t familiar with Wilkin, she illustrated almost 50 books for Little Golden Books. She has a very distinctive style which I enjoy very much.
I have found it challenging to find books for Caroline, primarily because of the illustrations. I’m not very fond of weird or contemporary illustration styles. I prefer something beautiful and warm. This one works well for our family.
In addition to some poems, an “Introduction” and “A Remembrance of Eloise Wilkin,” this collection includes:
- Busy Timmy
- Guess Who Lives Here
- My Little Golden Book About God
- Wonders of Nature
- We Help Mommy
- Baby Listens
- Baby Dear
- Baby Looks
Caroline’s favorites right now are the last three, all about babies. She was so taken with the Baby Dear story about a little girl with a baby doll, that I got the Bitty Baby she received as a birthday present out from the closet to see if she would like to play with it. She definitely was ready. (But that’s another post!)
I highly recommend Eloise Wilkin Stories
This book is included in my series A Month of Cozy Books.
Her illustrations are beautiful! I love Baby Dear myself, but I think that may be because I had that book when I was small.
Too funny about having to hide it from her;).
Baby Dear was always my favorite! I pulled out an Eloise Wilkin illustrated Little Golden Book this weekend to read to my nieces, and her artwork still captivates me. Somethings truly do last throughout the generations.
This is how my oldest was with Goodnight Moon. She was OBSESSED with it! We read it numerous times a day. My middle one never got into a favorite book, and then my son’s obsessive book was The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
Methinks these kids see something of themselves in these books, and thus identify somehow with the story, even at a young age!
I love Eloise Wilkin!! I remember BABY’S MOTHER GOOSE being read to me when *I* was a little girl. My eldest daughter especially loved PRAYERS FOR A SMALL CHILD. There are so many other beautiful titles to look for, including WE HELP DADDY, MY GOOD NIGHT BOOK, POEMS TO READ TO THE VERY YOUNG, BABY’S CHRISTMAS, SO BIG, etc. etc. Let’s just say I never turned down the chance to add a new Wilkin book to our shelves. 🙂 🙂
I feel that her illustrations help give children a positive, secure world view. Her books value traditional family and home, God and His creation, and so on.
You also might want to look at some of the books Tasha Tudor illustrated for young children, such as A IS FOR ANNABELLE; or Lois Lenski’s picture books which have been reissued (I especially like her “season” books, ON A SUMMER DAY, NOW IT’S FALL, I LIKE WINTER, SPRING IS HERE). Lenski’s pictures aren’t as realistic, but they’re cheerful and wholesome.
Best wishes,
Laura
I’m a big Eloise Wilkin fan also–and a Golden Book lover. I have over 300 of them, mostly from the early 50’s and 60’s when the stories and illustrations were much more innocent and sweet than they are today. I cannot stand the cartoon illustrations of today.
Baby Dear was my oldest girl’s (now 21) favorite. We would read it over and over and over. Sweet memories!!
I love children’s books and adore Little Golden Books so I’m delighted anytime I find one I haven’t already found on my own. I’ll be adding this one to our collection. We found out last week we have our first grandchild on the way and I’m already buying books for the little peanut.
Kathy, fun to see another Betsy-Tacy list member here, small world. 🙂 Congrats on the pending new arrival.
Best wishes,
Laura
Hi, Laura. We’ll have to buy Caroline a copy of Betsy-Tacy when she turns five.
Sallie, may Caroline have a Tacy in her life.
“To say Caroline is obsessed with this book is not an overstatement. David has taken to hiding it for parts of the day so we get a break from reading it.”
That’s really funny!
I’ve been seriously tempted to “lose” our Cat in the Hat books (we have both of them, and they’re our 2 year old son’s latest favorite books.)
One of our books got left outside in the rain a few days ago. While it was not one of my favorites, it wasn’t that bad either. I must admit my first thought was, “Drat! Why couldn’t they have left the Cat in the Hat books outside instead?”
I love Eloise Wilkin’s illustrations. My grandson already has favorites. My grand daughter, only four months at Christmas time, would loose herself staring into the face of the little girl on the cover of “Baby’s Christmas”.
I’m also a huge fan of Marjorie Cooper’s illustrations. They whisper ‘home’ to me.
Elizabeth B. —
LOL! I know. There’s a temptation to do things like that. As an adult it’s so easy to think, “hey, aren’t you bored with that now?” But it’s not them, it’s us. Sallie points that out to me all the time. Caroline is just very entertained. I have to remember that I often repeat good songs on my iTunes playlist while I’m working. Or, just ask Sallie how many times she’s watched “Sense & Sensibility” lately, almost every time she goes on an ironing spree. How are we any different?