The Little Golden Books are a very popular American series of children's books –
first published in 1942, and The Poky little Puppy is one of the best selling children's books of all time!
If you click on the puppy he will take you to the world of Gustaf Tenggren
where you can find out everything about the man and his lifetimes work.
Gustaf Tenggren Illustrated The Poky little Puppy and I like to think that the sales of this book were largely due to the incredibly cute puppy illustrated on, and within it's covers.
Tenggren didn't always draw like this, his work evolved. Here is a supreme example of how the same subject can be drawn by the same illustrator in two very different ways at different points in his career.
Heidi published in 1923 and the Golden Books version published in 1944.
Now I know many of you are now thinking of Disney and in a way you are spot on!
Tenggren did work for Disney on Snow White in 1937, Fantasia and Pinocchio in 1940, and Bambi in 1942 and it obviously influenced his work which by1957 had become even more stylised.
Here are some illustrations from his Golden Tales of the Arabian Nights
I adore the design and illustration of the end papers!
And finally my very favourite Tenggren illustration from the cover of
Snow White and Rose Red published in 1955.
