picture books that will make you kick your feet

these retro/vintage/super cool and awesome children's books will have you kicking your feet and giggling - they're just so cute! I found these books in a box in the basement. they're my mom's and her siblings' picture books from childhood.

watch next ☞    • art & design inspiration: vintage pic...  

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BOOKS SHOWN:
- The Best Loved Doll https://a.co/d/h0gkAxd
- Bunnies https://a.co/d/2z9t876
- How to Make Presents From Odds and Ends https://www.etsy.com/listing/74677636...
- Little Wonder Books https://www.etsy.com/listing/14904614...
- Big Bird's Busy Book https://a.co/d/f84oFXl
- Kittens and Puppies, Horses and Rabbits and Insects, Turtles and Birds https://www.abebooks.com/Kittens-Pupp...
- Things to Make and Do Lively Craft Cards https://a.co/d/gknvtwd
- The Jolly Jump-Ups Vacation Trip https://a.co/d/4j6J45B
- Alice in Wonderland Pop-Up https://a.co/d/eZ9CQct
- The Charlie Brown Dictionary https://www.ebay.com/p/118111789

★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜★꩜

music: https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/c...

I love picture books! It's my dream to one day be a children's book illustrator. But no matter what type of visual artist you are, children's books are a great source of inspiration. Especially vintage/antique/old children's books! It's good to reference design from the past because of the trend cycles. Instead of regurgitating whatever everyone else is making, or the same pins that are circling Pinterest, look to what came before. Picture books are fabulous examples of illustration, drawing, painting, graphic design, typography, storytelling, and layout design. These are amazing objects because they teach kids how to read, while also being entertaining and being beautifully made. This is how to find inspiration! Art inspiration!

The Best Loved Doll by Rebecca Caudill with pictures by Elliot Gilbert is a story about a little girl, Betsy, who attends a doll-themed birthday party. The way the dolls come alive and have conversations with one another when Betsy isn't around really captures the imagination of childhood. And the style of these black and white ink drawings remind me of my girlhood. I love how loose and sketchy the pen work is, and the way some of the dolls are drawn a little wonky. The pictures have character.

Bunnies by A Preschool Puppet Book with pictures by Tadasu Izawa and Shigemi Hijikata is a book of bunny facts composed through images of puppet photography. The illustrations remind me of early stop-motion movies, and it feels very nostalgic. I love the dimensions of this book and the vibrant colors.

How to Make Presents From Odds and Ends by Felicity Lewis is a craft book that teaches readers how to make gifts from household items. Some examples include a butterfly bookmark, a flower birthday card, and tissue paper flowers. These ideas are all DIY and are sure to bring out your inner creativity and decorating skills.

Little Wonder Books are vintage from the 1930s and 1940s. They were originally made as classroom booklets, to teach students about real everyday life topics. I love these books for their beautiful matching covers and their black and white photographs.

Big Bird's Busy Book Starring Jim Henson's Muppets is super cool! It has a very DIY, underground comics/zine feel. The designers clearly had fun making this book. I love all of its wonky features like crooked type. I also love this book's bold single-color printing which gives it a risograph feel.

Kittens and Puppies, Horses and Rabbits and Insects, Turtles and Birds by Cynthia Iliff Koehler and Alvin Koehler is an amazing picture book! The cover is so fun, it reminds me of a good thrift find. I love how each word is a different color, and I love how the typeface is underlined on the title page. The illustrations of this book are very painterly, colorful, and immersive. The artist does a great job of creating a color palette of very vibrant, unexpected colors, and soft neutrals. I also love that there is no set layout template, so every page is different. There are so many imaginary and whimsical drawings in this book.

Things to Make and Do - Lively Craft Cards - Making Things That Move by Peter Williams has such a fun, artistic, creative cover. I love the book binding here. This is another crafting book which offers many how-to's, ideas, and DIY tutorials. All while maintaining a super cool and kind of edgy illustration style.

The Charlie Brown Dictionary by Charles M. Schulz is the most fun and playful dictionary I've ever seen. It teaches kids to learn words in a very playful and visual way, even using comics!

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