Enoch Pratt had a glorious exhibition of Golden Books original art, which is gone now, but there is an anniversary book by Leonard Marcus: "Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children's Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became An American Icon Along the Way." Ignore the neon glow of that subtitle and what you have is a nostalgic overview of 65 years of kid culture.
After reading the book, my daughter and I happened upon a set of Golden Books in a thrift store and were disappointed to see they were mostly Disney stories with a few "Sesame Streets" thrown in. My own recollections of Golden Books had been more, um, golden, but the anniversary edition reminded me of the commercial tie-ins of the '50s and '60s, starting with Roy and Dale (not to be confused with Chip 'n' ...). I also didn't know, or had forgotten, that Bob Staake of Style Invitational fame was a Golden Book artist.
When it's a little cooler, I need to get into the attic to unbox the Golden trove, including my old favorite, "Grandpa Bunny," which I never thought of as a Disney book, but it is. Grandpa Bunny Bunny is the one who painted the leaves, the flowers and the sunsets; it's a story that has stayed with me for a very very long time.
