Celebrating the books that introduced Christ to millions
by Peter Crumpler, Christian Today:
I’m really excited about a new exhibition opening in my local museum next month. It promises to prompt joyful memories of childhood for many older people – and maybe remind them of when they first learnt about Jesus.
‘The Wonderful World of the Ladybird Artists’ aims to “uncover the story of the talented artists who illustrated Ladybird books for more than 30 years.” It’s a fascinating exhibition that has already been staged in UK towns from Canterbury to Northumberland.
The organisers say: “This colourful, family-friendly exhibition includes rare books, original artwork and artefacts, and reveals how illustrators played such an enormous role in Ladybird’s extraordinary success.”
The bestselling Ladybird books covered a wide range of subjects from biographies to fairy tales, from science to travel, and many more. My childhood favourite was ‘Tootles the Taxi,’ which showed different types of cars, vans and other vehicles with simple rhymes and beautiful illustrations. I still have a copy on my bookshelf today!
But Ladybird books also played a vital role in thousands of Sunday Schools and churches in the UK and many other English-speaking countries from the 1940s until well into the 1970s. I suspect some Sunday School libraries still stock a few…
For many children and young people, Ladybird books were their first introduction to the Bible, with numerous parents, grandparents and carers reading them as bedtime stories. ‘Easy Reading’ versions helped many children read about Jesus for themselves.
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