We had the pleasure of hearing Diane Muldrow, editor of Golden Books at Random House, speak yesterday. She mostly went over the history of Golden Books, which was fascinating. The lecture almost made me want to write a picture book… but I don’t think that is going straight on my to-do list for now.

Some cool info I learned:

The Poky Little Puppy is the bestselling children’s book of all time.

Golden Books revolutionized children’s publishing because they were the first reasonably priced children’s book series. Before that, children’s books were expensive, glossy paged, handcrafted things that people would only buy around the holidays. The first 12 book run of Golden Books were 25 cents each.

Golden Books are featured in the Smithsonian because they are considered an American Icon.

Many Golden Book illustrators also worked at one time as Disney animators. Golden Books and Disney have a long history of working together, and Disney actually approached Golden Books about doing books that tie in to their movie releases. There is a whole Disney division at Golden Books

If you want to read more about how Little Golden Books changed the face of children’s publishing and became an American icon, check out the book “Golden Legacy.”