The Art of the Disney Golden Books — Drawings, interviews and photographs from the archives

The Art of the Disney Golden Books is more than a beautiful book of illustrated artwork. It's a history lesson for Disney fans and a love letter to the men and women who created some of the studio's most beloved characters.

This is a happy, colorful, informative book filled with drawings, interviews and photographs from the Disney archives.

Nestled between the artwork are fun facts about the origins of the treasured Little Golden Books. The golden-spined cardboard books have been around since the early 1940s and were created for additional studio revenue and publicity. Disney artists often worked overtime to produce drawings just for the Golden Book series and titles tied into the movies being released. In 1955, the publisher brought out books specifically for the opening of Disneyland because he was an investor in the theme park. The impact of Disney Golden Books is so strong that animators working today say these books inspired them to be artists as well.

Although The Art of the Disney Golden Books is not a kid's book per se, seeing the full-of-life, charming illustrations of Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland sure makes one feel young again. — Carole Rosner

See sample pages from this book at Wink.