Walter Crane’s Toy Books Series
Books for babies are called Toy Books. Prior to Walter Crane, they were often unremarkable. Then Crane produced a series of Toy Books that gradually transformed the toy book into a sophisticated art form. Some of them become the most popular children’s books of the day.
Books in the Walter Crane’s Toy Books series:
The Death and Burial of Cock Robin (1864)
A traditional tale of cock robin, the sparrow and a bow and arrow. Shown above is the rear cover of the very rare Painted Toy Book.
Cock Robin and Jenny Wren (1865)
A well-known nursery rhyme.
The Comical Cat (1865)
A humorous poem similar to Old Mother Hubbard.
The Farmyard Alphabet (1865)
An alphabet based on familiar farmyard scenes. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
House that Jack Built (1865)
A well-known rhyme.
The “House that Jack Built” Alphabet (1865)
This version includes outline pictures, opposite the colored plates, to be filled in by the user.
The Railroad Alphabet (1865)
A picture alphabet based on the railroad. Read for free online at State Library of South Australia.
A Gaping-Wide-Mouth Waddling Frog (1866)
This is the reissue of this nonsense poem.
A Gaping-Wide-Mouth Waddling Frog (1866)
A nonsense poem.
Here is the game based on it at archive.org.
Another copy at FSU.
Sing a Song of Sixpence (1866)
Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye.
This is the cover for a later edition.
Chattering Jack (1867)
A nursery tale from Walter Crane. Read for free online at the Toronto Public Library. NOTE: that link downloads a very large file.
The Multiplication Table in Verse (1867)
A unique approach to arithmetic. Read for free online at the Toronto Public Library. NOTE: that link downloads a very large file.
The Old Courtier (1867)
An old ballad of the English gentry. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
Grammar in Rhyme (1868)
An introduction to the parts of speech. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
How Jessie Was Lost (1868)
A young girl runs away from her nurse at the park and is taken to the keeper’s house where her loud weeping attracts her parents. Read for free online at Toronto Public Library.
Routledge’s Coloured ABC Book (1868)
Includes Walter Crane’s Farm-Yard Alphabet.
Joseph Martin Kronheim
Annie and Jack in London (1869)
An illustrated tour of London in the 1860’s. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
One, Two Buckle My Shoe (1869)
A counting rhyme. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
The Adventures of Puffy (1870)
A fluffy white Maltese dog gets into no end of trouble. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
The Fairy Ship (1870)
A nonsense verse with illustrations. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
King Luckieboy’s Party (1870)
The months come to greet King Luckieboy at his birthday party.
This Little Pig Went to Market (1870)
The familiar toe rhyme. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
King Luckieboy’s Picture Book (1871)
An omnibus containing The Old Courtier, King Luckieboy’s Party, This Little Pig Went to Market, and Picture Book.
Harrison Weir
Routledge’s Coloured Picture Book (1871)
This omnibus includes Chattering Jack and The Multiplication Table in Verse by Walter Crane. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
Charles H. Bennett
Walter Crane
The Noah’s Ark Alphabet (1872)
An alphabet of animals who entered the Ark. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1873)
A boy is cutting firewood in the forest. He overhears some thieves open the way into a cave with the words “open sesame.” This is one of the best-known tales from the Arabian Nights. Read for free online at Internet Archive and at the University of Florida.
Cinderella (1873)
A neglected stepdaughter, a fairy godmother and a prince. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
My Children (1873)
A poem in praise of the joys of parenthood. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
My Mother (1873)
A poetical paean to mothers. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
The Three Bears (1873)
The story of the three bears and Silverlocks, told in verse. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
Walter Crane’s New Toy Book (1873)
Omnibus containing One, Two Buckle My Shoe, The Adventures of Puffy, This Little Pig Went to Market, Noah’s Ark Alphabet, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Cinderella, My Mother, and The Three Bears.
Read for free online at the Toronto Public Library. NOTE: this link downloads a very large file.
The Absurd ABC (1874)
Short beautifully illustrated and engraved A-Z book with a nursery rhyme theme. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
The Alphabet of Old Friends (1874)
The letters of the alphabet are presented through traditional nursery rhymes, set in gilded letters and paintings. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
Beauty and the Beast (1874)
The classic tale of a daughter who redeems her father and saves her husband. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
The Frog Prince (1874)
Would you kiss a frog? Read for free online at Internet Archive.
Goody Two Shoes (1874)
A tale of two orphans and how they eventually prospered. Read for Free online at Internet Archive.
The Marquis of Carabas’ Picture Book (1874)
An omnibus containing The Absurd ABC, Old Mother Hubbard, Puss in Boots and Valentine and Orson. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
Sarah Catherine Martin
Old Mother Hubbard (1874)
The traditional rhyme about an old woman and her dog. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
Puss in Boots (1874)
The miller’s son sends his cat into the world to make him a fortune. The cover (above) is from a later reprinting. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
Valentine and Orson (1874)
Twins separated at birth are reunited in knight errantry. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
Aladdin: or The Wonderful Lamp (1875)
New lamps for old! and a most obliging genie. Read for free online at Internet Archive and at the University of Florida.
Baby’s Own Alphabet (1875)
An illustrated ABC. Read for free online at Internet Archive. This is a collection of several of Walter Crane’s Toy Books.
Bluebeard (1875)
The famous spine chilling story of a wife who was too curious - ‘Sister Anne, Sister Anne!’ Read for free online at Internet Archive.
The Bluebeard Picture Book (1875)
An omnibus containing Baby’s Own Alphabet, Bluebeard, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Little Red Riding Hood. Read online at NLJ.
The Hind in the Wood (1875)
A neglected fairy curses the newborn princess. Read for Free online at Internet Archive.
Jack and the Beanstalk (1875)
Trading his mother’s cow for a handful of magic beans works out in the end. Read for free online at the Toronto Public Library. NOTE: this link downloads a very large file.
Little Red Riding Hood (1875)
The classic tale of a girl, a grandmother and a wolf. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
Princess Belle Etoile (1875)
Three young princes and a princess are set adrift to drown, but are rescued and grow up to claim their rightful heritage. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
The Yellow Dwarf (1875)
A selfish princess is cured and marries her prince. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
Aladdin’s Picture Book (1876)
Omnibus containing Aladdin, The Hind in the Wood, Princess Belle Etoile, and The Yellow Dwarf.
Read for free online at Toronto Public Library. NOTE: that link downloads a very large file.
Chattering Jack’s Picture Book (1876)
An omnibus containing Chattering Jack, How Jessie Was Lost, Grammar in Rhyme, and Annie and Jack in London. Read for free online at the Toronto Public Library.
The Sleeping Beauty (1876)
Classic fairy tale of a princess, a christening, a spindle and a prince. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
The Song of Sixpence Toy Book (1876)
An omnibus containing A Gaping-Wide-Mouth Waddling Frog, Sing a Song of Sixpence, and The Old Courtier.
Read for free online at Toronto Public Library. NOTE: that link downloads a very large file.
The Children’s Musical Cinderella (1879)
A musical version of Cinderella. Uses the original Walter Crane illustrations. Read for free online at Toronto Public Library. NOTE: that link downloads a very large file.
William Routledge
King Luckieboy’s Picture Book (1880)
An omnibus containing One, Two Buckle My Shoe, The Fairy Ship, King Luckieboy’s Party and This Little Pig Went to Market. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
Slateandpencilvania: Being the Adventures of Dick on a Desert Island (1885)
An arithmetical Robinsonnade fantasy. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
Little Queen Anne and Her Majesty’s Letters (1886)
An educational fantasy. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
Pothooks and Perseverance: or The ABC Serpent (1886)
A fantasy of penmanship. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
A Romance of the Three R’s (1886)
An omnibus including Slateandpencilvania, Little Queen Anne, and Pothooks and Perseverence. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
The Alphabet of Old Friends (1890)
This is the later reprint edition. The letters of the alphabet are presented through traditional nursery rhymes, set in gilded letters and paintings. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
Walter Crane’s Absurd Alphabet, Baby’s Own Alphabet and Noah’s Ark Alphabet (1890)
A collection of alphabets. Read for free online at Toronto Public Library. NOTE: that link downloads a very large file.
Beauty and the Beast (1895)
The classic tale of a daughter who redeems her father and saves her husband. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
Bluebeard (1895)
The famous spine chilling story of a wife who was too curious - ‘Sister Anne, Sister Anne!’ This is a later reissue. Read for free online at Toronto Public Library. NOTE: that link downloads a very large file.
The Fairy Ship (1895)
A nonsense verse with illustrations. This is a later reissue. Read for free online at Toronto Public Library. NOTE: that link downloads a very large file.
The Forty Thieves (1895)
This is the reissue. A boy is cutting firewood in the forest. He overhears some thieves open the way into a cave with the words “open sesame.” This is one of the best-known tales from the Arabian Nights. Read for free online at Internet Archive and at the University of Florida.
The Frog Prince (1895)
This is the later reissue. Would you kiss a frog? Read for free online at Internet Archive.
This Little Pig His Picture Book (1895)
An omnibus containing The Fairy Ship, King Luckieboy’s Party and This Little Pig. Also titled Walter Crane’s Picture book Vol. 1. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
This Little Pig Went to Market (1895)
The familiar toe rhyme. This is a later reprint with new endpapers. Read for free online at Toronto Public Library.
The Yellow Dwarf (1895)
A selfish princess is cured and marries her prince. This is a later reissue. Read for free online at Toronto Public Library. NOTE: that link downloads a very large file.
The Absurd ABC (1896)
Short beautifully illustrated and engraved A-Z book with a nursery rhyme theme. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
Cinderella Picture Book (1897)
An omnibus containing Cinderella, Puss in Boots and Valentine and Orson. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
Mother Hubbard Her Picture Book (1897)
Also titled Walter Crane’s Picture Books Vol. II, this omnibus contains The Three Bears, The Absurd ABC and Old Mother Hubbard. Read for Free online at Internet Archive.
The Three Bears (1897)
This is a later reissue. The story of the three bears and Silverlocks, told in verse. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
Valentine and Orson (1897)
This is a later reissue with a new cover. Twins separated at birth are reunited in knight errantry. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
Mother Hubbard (1898)
The traditional rhyme about an old woman and her dog. This is a later reissue. Read for free online at Toronto Public Library. NOTE: that link downloads a very large file.
Red Riding Hood’s Picture Book (1898)
An omnibus containing The Forty Thieves, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Little Red Riding Hood. Read for free online at Toronto Public Library. NOTE: that link downloads a very large file.
Bluebeard’s Picture Book (1899)
An omnibus containing Baby’s Own Alphabet, Bluebeard, and The Sleeping Beauty. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
Goody Two Shoes (1900)
This is a later reissue edition. A tale of two orphans and how they eventually prospered. Read for Free online at Internet Archive.
Jack and the Beanstalk (1900)
Trading his mother’s cow for a handful of magic beans works out in the end. The cover image above is from the later reissue.
Read for free online at Toronto Public Library. NOTE: that link downloads a very large file.
One, Two Buckle My Shoe (1900)
This is a later reissue. A counting rhyme. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
Beauty and the Beast Picture Book (1901)
This is an omnibus volume containing Beauty and the Beast, The Frog Prince and The Hind in the Wood. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
Goody Two Shoes Picture Book (1901)
An omnibus containing Goody Two Shoes, Aladdin and The Yellow Dwarf. Read for free online at the Toronto Public Library. NOTE: that link downloads a very large file.
Princess Belle Etoile (1909)
This is a later reissue with a new cover. Three young princes and a princess are set adrift to drown, but are rescued and grow up to claim their rightful heritage. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
The Song of Sixpence Picture Book (1909)
An omnibus containing Sing a Song of Sixpence, The Alphabet of Old Friends, and Princess Belle Etoile. Read for free online at Smithsonian Libraries.
The Buckle My Shoe Picture Book (1910)
An omnibus containing A Gaping-Wide-Mouth-Waddling-Frog, One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, and My Mother. There is a new introduction and some up-to-date additions. Read for free online at Internet Archive.
Ann Taylor
My Mother (1910)
This is the later reissue. A poetical paean to mothers. Read for free online at the University of Florida.
The Sleeping Beauty Picture Book (1911)
An omnibus containing Baby’s Own Alphabet, Bluebeard, and The Sleeping Beauty. Read for free online at Project Gutenberg.
Puss in Boots and The Forty Thieves (1914)
This is a small format reprint of the two Toy Books.
The Sleeping Beauty and Blue Beard (1914)
This small format (16mo) book contains Bluebeard and The Sleeping Beauty.
The Three Bears and Mother Hubbard (1914)
A small format (16mo) edition of these two Sixpenny Toy Books.
Beauty and the Beast and Other Tales (1982)
A reprinting of Beauty and the Beast, Princess Belle Etoile and The Yellow Dwarf.
