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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.

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.

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Savahax
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can, and I do. In between work and doing my chores obviously. But it is possible. Sitting in naturr for a few hours a week is a necessity

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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.

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OneWithRatsAndKefir
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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OneWithRatsAndKefir
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1 month ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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).

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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.

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Brian Droste
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1 month ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If I need to get things done and I turn the TV on, I am basically done for the day.

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G A
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Library with wood panelling, a globe drinks cabinet, a chaise lounge, and cats n dogs for comfort. If I win the lottery.

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"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.”

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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
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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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.

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Little Wonder
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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Linda Gilliam
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't Iron, I just throw it in the dryer for 10 minutes. Ironing is a pain in the azz !!

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Wisteria Bookworm
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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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Nea
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Good story to post on a Sunday, hopefully people will not ask for plans.

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Oskar vanZandt
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1 month ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Rien Poortfliet's "kabouter" (gnome)... He was an amazing Dutch illustrator.

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Linda Gilliam
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The dog is domesticated, but still drinks out of a bowl. Is that hair of the dog ??

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Linda Gilliam
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1 month ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The frog is deciding what he wants to eat from the buffet. Decisions, decisions 🐸🐞🪲🐝🪳🦗

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Jennifer Smith
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They keep catching up to me because I have short legs and can’t run that fast

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Bill Swallow
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1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The little shoes on the bugs remind me of the story 'Archy and Mehitabel'.

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Note: this post originally had 64 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.