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Just like music, art evokes various emotions within us. Some makes us feel happy. Others make us a bit sad. And there are those that leave us all warm and fuzzy inside. Vintage children’s book illustrations often stir up nostalgia. They transport us back to our days as little carefree humans. A time when looking at the pictures was sometimes even better than the words of the fairytale.
The sadderlizards Insta account has over 300 thousand followers. It’s the perfect place to go if you feel like traveling back to your cozy nights of bedtime stories. But still want to relate to the illustrations as a grown adult. There's a gallery of adorable art, each with a relatable meme to melt your heart. Bored Panda has put together a list of our favorites. Keep scrolling and don't forget to upvote yours.
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#1
Jill Rhodry 1 month ago
Yeah me too - but don't you find buying/collecting books is actually a different hobby than reading?
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UncleJohn3000 1 month ago
Seems like the word 'booknut' could be played well here, but I'm a little squirrely.
Beak Hookage 1 month ago
My trick is to always keep a book next to the toilet. Every visit I read some more, and when I finish the book I replace it with another one.
G A 1 month ago
At least 20 unread books, 30 unwatched films and 15 unheard CDs, plus Prime Video, Sky and Netflix. Almost feels like a chore.
UncleJohn3000 1 month ago
I am so far behind on movies that I'm almost up to films in color.
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OneWithRatsAndKefir 1 month ago
Too true. I currently have a few Sherlock Holmes books, the Odyssey, the Illiad, a couple of comics, the Art of War, various fantasy-history books from Skyrim and a graphic novel of 1984.
Roan The Demon Kitty 1 month ago (edited)
yep. (even when I was in hospital for over a week I still managed to accumulate several new books... xD)
Tina Marie 1 month ago
Now if this were a yarn craft, not only is it me, but I'm going to need a bigger tree
Imagine a world without story book illustrations. Our childhoods might have been a bit boring. The pictures bring the words to life. They inspire, educate and keep little minds engaged. Children’s book illustrations have evolved a lot over the years. They took off in the 19th century, when children’s literature became a genre of its own.
Back then, the pictures were first carved into wooden blocks. And those were then transferred onto the pages of the book. Sometimes they were coloured in by hand, adding even more "life" to the stories.
It was during this time that the Grimms’ Fairy Tales were brought to life. Childhood classics like “Cinderella”, “Hansel and Gretel” and "Snow White" remain popular more than 200 years later. They're still being translated into different languages, and adapted into plays and films around the world.
Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm published the first set of stories in 1812. You might be surprised to know that they weren't actually written for children. According to the National Library of Scotland, 'Kinder- und Hausmärchen', as the first volume was originally called, was aimed more at scholars. It contained 86 fairy tales.
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The Grimms started collecting fairy tales "in the hope of discovering some essential truths about the cultural heritage of the common people," reads the library's site. They later edited the stories to make them more child friendly. And thanks to the brothers, we saw the emergence of children's literature. The collection has since been translated into more than 160 languages.
#11
OneWithRatsAndKefir 1 month ago
In that case, I need an outright prescription of a little treat daily. Sleep’s been a bugger for the past week and a half.
#12
OneWithRatsAndKefir 1 month ago (edited)
Redwall! I just wanted to add, for those who have seen me comment before, I finally figured out which Redwall book I read (because of TV Tropes)! It was ‘Outcast of Redwall! The characters in the picture are Sunstripe/Sunflash and Skarlath (Sunflash is the badger and Skarlath is the kestrel).
The original Grimm Brothers' books were meant to teach important morals about life and contained common themes about family and society structures during that time. The lessons were often told through exaggerated portrayals of beauty, violence, poverty and wealth. Which is why some of the adaptations have done away with negative stereotypes and outdated ideas about what is wrong and what is right.
#14
Brian Droste 1 month ago (edited)
If I need to get things done and I turn the TV on, I am basically done for the day.
"The mothers, step mothers and women in general are often greedy and willing to do heinous things to achieve wealth and beauty," reads this 2016 research paper titled The Grimm Fairy Tales: An Analysis of Family and Society. "The fathers, although they mean well for their family, are very weak and submissive and thus make mistakes that often have grave consequences. As a result of the conflicts from the parental figures, the children are always the ones who suffer.”
The 19th century also brought us the whimsical tale of “Alice in Wonderland”. It’s another classic that continues to captivate children and adults alike, centuries later. The original book was titled “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. It was written by Lewis Carroll and published in 1865.
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Nathaniel He/Him Cis-Het 1 month ago
Sign me up for this. I am not too manly to go flower picking with a lady. Truth be told, I will prob be looking out for mushrooms though.
The fairy tale and characters were brought to life with illustrations by British artist John Tenniel. “Tenniel’s precise and imaginative drawings perfectly captured the whimsical nature of Carroll’s story, creating a visual world that has become synonymous with the beloved tale,” reads this blog post by a U.K children's book illustration company. To this day, people talk about (and dress up as) Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts and the White Rabbit.
#23
Little Wonder 1 month ago
Fun fact! people sent to the coast for "fresh air" often did feel much better for it, because they were no longer in their homes which were filled with arsenic from the green wallpapers and furnishings.
#28
Linda Gilliam 1 month ago
I don't Iron, I just throw it in the dryer for 10 minutes. Ironing is a pain in the azz !!
#29
Wisteria Bookworm 1 month ago
HEY!! IM SUING! HOW DARE YOU PUT MY IMAGE WITHOUT MY CONSENT?! *LE GASP* (I’m kidding btw for you Karens who think I’m serious)
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Oskar vanZandt 1 month ago (edited)
Rien Poortfliet's "kabouter" (gnome)... He was an amazing Dutch illustrator.
#38
Linda Gilliam 1 month ago
The dog is domesticated, but still drinks out of a bowl. Is that hair of the dog ??
#41
Linda Gilliam 1 month ago (edited)
The frog is deciding what he wants to eat from the buffet. Decisions, decisions 🐸🐞🪲🐝🪳🦗
#46
Jennifer Smith 1 month ago
They keep catching up to me because I have short legs and can’t run that fast
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Bill Swallow 1 month ago
The little shoes on the bugs remind me of the story 'Archy and Mehitabel'.
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What do you think ?
wowbagger 1 month ago
Wonderful! Art for children's books requires a lot of skill; I don't think it gets enough respect in the art world.
Beak Hookage 1 month ago
It really doesn't! And call me old-fashioned but I will always prefer proper painted covers and internal illustrations. None of that stock photos stuff for me, thanks.
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Maudelin 1 month ago
Half of these are ruined with the comment posted over the picture. The post was about seeing adorable pictures FFS.
David Paterson 1 month ago
Made me nostalgic for English summer. And England doesn't have a summer!
Auntriarch 1 month ago
We do sometimes have summer. Just not in the summertime
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Barbara Griffin 1 month ago
That was a wonderful trip through pictures I remember from my childhood.
wowbagger 1 month ago
Wonderful! Art for children's books requires a lot of skill; I don't think it gets enough respect in the art world.
Beak Hookage 1 month ago
It really doesn't! And call me old-fashioned but I will always prefer proper painted covers and internal illustrations. None of that stock photos stuff for me, thanks.
Load More Replies... Maudelin 1 month ago
Half of these are ruined with the comment posted over the picture. The post was about seeing adorable pictures FFS.
David Paterson 1 month ago
Made me nostalgic for English summer. And England doesn't have a summer!
Auntriarch 1 month ago
We do sometimes have summer. Just not in the summertime
Load More Replies... Barbara Griffin 1 month ago
That was a wonderful trip through pictures I remember from my childhood.
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