In addition to rare treasures in the show, there are also copies of pivotal works that altered the history of children’s literature. For example, a copy of Little Golden Book’s The Poky Little Puppy, the best selling picture books of all time, represents Little Golden Books’ democratization of the publishing industry, creating picture books that the average person could afford (ironically, The New York Public Library originally refused to buy the books, because it considered them “cheap”). A galley copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone sent to American reviewers – complete with a letter predicting the book’s reception will be “magic” – represents children’s books that have transformed popular culture; the New York Times created a special children’s best-seller list after the success of the J. K. Rowling novels.
Books including Pippi Longstocking, Huckleberry Finn, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. are all part of a section about censorship, showing how children’s books are not always simple, innocent works, but can actually become lightning rods of controversy. A copy of A Wrinkle in Time in this section is inscribed by author Madeleine L’Engle to the Library’s central children’s room.
The exhibition was designed by renowned firm Pure+Applied, which also designed the Library’s acclaimed Lunch Hour NYC exhibition in 2012. The installation captures the imagination and creativity of children’s books, incorporating a “fur wall” in honor of Where the Wild Things Are, a “rabbit hole” that kids can walk through in honor of Alice in Wonderland, a wall of banned books, large replicas of paper cutouts that Hans Christian Andersen used to tell stories, and from The Phantom Tollbooth, the car and endpaper map depicting the journey of the book’s protagonist, Milo. Additionally, there are book nooks throughout the space to allow families to read in the gallery.
Among other items included in the exhibition are:
- One of the original published sketchbooks of the famed Japanese graphic artist Hokusai—an important precursor of contemporary Japanese manga
- A first edition of Enlightenment philosopher John Locke’s groundbreaking reflections on the nature of childhood, Some Thoughts Concerning Education
- Behind-the-scenes documentation from the Stratemeyer Syndicate, whose factory-like operation produced Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, and many other iconic series. A letter from Edward Stratemeyer to writer Mildred Wirt asks her to begin writing the Nancy Drew series, which she did under the pen name “Carolyn Keene.”
- Tsunami, an exquisite, handmade 2011 picture book from India in the form of scroll that merges the contemporary picture book tradition with an ancient form of Indian folk art.
- Original watercolors by influential artist Arthur Rackham, who illustrated Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, The Allies Fairy Book, and many other iconic works.
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