Typography for Children

Michael Bartalos//Shadowville/1995

Many librarians were concerned that children would be distracted by playful typefaces, so they placed some restrictions on what they would bring into their libraries. More often than not, the fanciful children books became mere collectibles in the 1920s and onward. But soon artists began taking on the challenge of children books and were able to come out with something fun and educational at the same time. According to the reading, it the late 1980s 'type design became more integral to the entire children book as the author/illustrator became more of an active participant in the design process and the computer forced the widespread reevaluation of typographic principles in all print media."




Richard Scarry//The Best Word Book Ever//1991 revised edition

I couldn't help but think of the books I read as a child. I never really remembered any strange typefaces but more so strange illustrations accompanying the text. Richard Scarry is a wonderful example of this. His illustrations are often very strange and his story almost disturbing. In this story you have a piglet who wants to work in the meat section of the supermarket...odd. But Richard Scarry provided a book that was both entertaining and educational.




Simms Taback//This is the House that Jack Built//as retold and illustrated by Simms Taback in 2004

"This is the House that Jack Built" was one of my favorite Mother Goose nursery rhymes as a child. I stumbled across this book that has taken the nursery rhyme and illustrated it in a fantastic way. The text in this book by Simms Taback looks like it was cut from contruction paper and some of the letters have designs. Each element in the book looks like a cutout which is really pleasing to the eye.