A Library of Children's Books

Below are numerous examples of children's book that stand out to me because of their design or books that have remained special to be/that I recall from my own childhood. These books have remained my favourite either due to their stories (morals, friendships, characters), their typefaces (bold, small, use of colours etc) and/or their pictorials (colours, sizes, details, characterisations). I believe that a successful children's book incorporates all of these elements to create a piece of art in its own right, as each element is equally as important as the next, whether that in reference to fiction or non-fiction children's books.

1. Winnie the Pooh Collection (Winnie the Pooh) / Illustrated by: E.H. Shepard
2. Threadbear / Illustrated by: Mick Inkpen
3. Me and My Mum / Illustrated by: Alison Edgson
4. Three Little Pigs / Illustrated by: Stepgen Cartwright

1. Kipper Collection (Kipper and Roly) / Illustrated by: Mick Inkpen
2. Beatrix Potter Collection (The Tale of Peter Rabbit) / Illustrated by Beatrix Potter
3. The Enormous Turnip / Illustrated by Kathy Parkinson
4. Mr Men Collection (Little Miss Sunshine) / Illustrated by: Roger Hargreaves

1. The Magic Porridge Pot / Illustrated by: Paul Galdone
2. Rumplestiltskin / Illustrated by: Stephen Player
3. Rupert the Bear Collection (Rupert The Anual) / Illustrated by: Mary Tourtel
4. Peek-a-Boo! / Illustrated by: Janet and Allan Ahlberg

1. Roald Dahl Collection (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) / Illustrated by: Quentin Blake
2. How My Body Works Collection (The Muscles) / Illustrated by Frances Cony
3. Spot the Dog Collection (Where's Spot?) / Illustrated by: Eric Hill
4. The Magic Key Collection (Australian Adventure) / Illustrated by: Alex Brychta

Each children's book listed above has a unique appearance and a a recognisable style, whether that is in relation (as previously mentioned) to their stories, typefaces or pictorials.

My observations derived children's books in association with each other:

• Strong central characters - allows them to be accessible

• All fiction books involve overcoming a problem / finding something / learning something / falling into an adventure

• All non-fiction information is presented in a colourful, relatable manner

• Bright colours - sometimes used on pale/white backgrounds

• Story, typeface and pictorials are all equally important and relevant to the reader

• Some use of poetry (easier reading, make it fun)

• Use of textures - aimed at younger children making the transition from baby to toddler. This makes gives the book a whole new dimension of a hands-on approach

• Morals involved at some level in every children's book

After researching into numerous different children's books, I'll next be looking into narrowing my list down to 3 specific illustrators and their designs.