We have been doing a lot of research on and writing about the various printings of the Childcraft Books. We have a Childcraft landing page with links to the various articles and reviews that we have written about findings.

As many families have sought to acquire their own sets, they have desired to better understand some key features about each set. The most common question we get about the vintage Childcraft books is one about illustration. How much illustration is there in the set? Is the illustration in color or black and white? Do the volumes use photos instead of illustration?

In my 1949 orange set, the artistic format of each volume has been specific to the content of the particular subject.

Volumes 1 & 2 are designed for the very young. The illustration is beautiful watercolor throughout.

In volumes 3-6 (longer stories and samples from literature) some of the illustration is in black and white, most is printed in duotone and a very small amount is in full color.

In volumes 7-11, the art is mostly dated black and white photos.

Volume 7 “Animals” is unique because it has some beautiful full color photos of birds and animals.