Gorgeous Illustrated Editions of Classic Children's Stories
When our first child was born, I very quickly dug all of my old childhood books out of my parents’ attic to start building our personal library. I wanted to share my favorite old picture books with him, because I had such fond memories listening to my parents read them to me. I’m also a sucker for nostalgia, so I have always had a very big soft spot for classic children’s lit.
The boxes I found were full of modern classics like Where the Wild Things Are, Goodnight Moon, and Corduroy, and of course lots of scary books too. It was a great beginning to our new family’s book collection. And over the years we’ve discovered a lot of brand new picture books to fall in love with too. It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful the art is that we find in children’s books, and I have no doubt that our kids will grow up with fond memories of both the new and the old books.
We’ve built up quite the collection of kids books over the years, but not until very recently did I notice a surprising and very sizeable gap in our collection. I’m talking about illustrated editions of some of the true classics of children’s literature. In retrospect, the oversight is shocking. But the picture books that make up the Classic Edition series from Cider Mill Press were exactly what we were missing.
Disclosure: Cider Mill Press provided us with the books from their Classic Edition series to allow for this article. All thoughts and opinions are our own. Some of the links in this article are affiliate links that will lead you to view the books’ listings on Amazon or IndieBound.
The stories chosen for the Classic Edition series are some of the best children’s stories ever told. I’m talking about stories like The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson and Snow White by the Brothers Grimm. I’m talking about Aesop’s Fables and the rhymes of Mother Goose. It even includes stunning, illustrated adaptations of famous books like The Wind in the Willows, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland and many more.
And the reason that this gap in our collection existed is a surprising one to me. I suppose I simply didn’t know what we were missing. In many cases I assumed we had the novel, or the VHS, or the DVD, or the Disney-version of the Little Golden Book somewhere, or a giant non-illustrated version of the Brothers Grimm lying around. Like many others out there, I assumed our kids already knew these stories by heart, perhaps merely because they were so famous.
But, in actuality, we simply didn’t have a great way to share some of the best children’s stories ever written. As it turns out, our kids are only now discovering some of the best tales of all time because of this collection. And since these illustrated classics are very true to their original sources, in some cases the actual details of the stories are new for us too.
The oversight is inexcusable, because I already knew how much we loved to share illustrated versions of famous books. That’s how we read our son Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and how we’re reading the Harry Potter series as well. It’s an engaging and immersive way to introduce stories, and now I’m inspired and very excited to keep adding to our collection going forward.
Most of the collection is illustrated by the legendary Charles Santore, the creator of what many consider to be the quintessential illustrated editions of The Night Before Christmas and The Wizard of Oz. His work is truly stunning, and the major reason this collection comes so highly recommended. And, as far as I’m concerned, he’s made the quintessential edition of all of these books.
His illustrations are perfection. He is the reason these books are so special and have such a big impact. So much life and emotion is breathed into the stories, and I simply don’t know how to properly express the magic of what he has accomplished. And Cider Mill Press founder and publisher John Whalen spoke glowingly about his legacy:
“It was a true honor to be Charlie's publisher… He never included a detail in his artwork that wasn’t historically or anatomically accurate… He cared passionately and worked tirelessly to insure that his painting was true and honest. He was a renaissance man — a painter, illustrator, an expert on antique Windsor chairs, a lover of literature, and a dear friend.”
Other children’s books published by Applesauce Press - the children’s imprint of Cider Mill Press - were illustrated by the extremely talented Don Daily and Gina Baek. Altogether there are now about 16 beautiful hardcover books to collect, and also a 500+ page collection of 14 Charles Santore projects - The Illustrated Treasury of Classic Children’s Stories.
Personally, I’m very fond of The Wind in the Willows, The Wizard of Oz, and The Jungle Book. I think it’s simply marvelous to be able to share these longer stories with the kids with beautiful illustrations on every page. Our son, for his part, became incredibly obsessed with the rhymes of Mother Goose. He read The House that Jack Built out loud over and over until he had it memorized - which is both a credit to Mother Goose and a reminder that sharing poetry with kids can have a big impact.
If you’re just beginning to build your own home library, this is the perfect place to start. And if, like me, you have a surprisingly-gaping hole in your collection when it comes to classics like these - it’s never too late to rectify that issue. This Classic Edition series has instantly turned into one of our most treasured collection of books. And I have no doubt that they’ll be some of the books our kids are the most excited to see when they rediscover them one day, when they come digging through our attic looking for their old books to share with their kids.
You can find Charles Santore’s illustrated works, and the other books of the Classic Edition series, on Amazon, locally through IndieBound, or directly through Cider Mill Press.
Do you own any of these classic children’s books? Which one is your favorite? Have you been assuming that you had the Little Golden Book versions lying around somewhere too and that that would suffice? Let us know in the comments!
