Established in 1919 by visionary forces from the world of publishing, libraries and (really!) the Boy Scouts, Children’s Book Week is the oldest established celebration of literacy in the country. Administered since 1944 by the Children’s Book Council, the celebration features activities in libraries and bookstores and has been promoted over the years by a wide variety of posters and fliers created by some of the most talented graphic artists and children’s illustrators in the country. Because of the limited duration of each year’s events, most of these materials are regarded as ephemeral and are disposed of following the week’s proceedings.

This original 22 x 17” color poster by the children’s illustrator team of Alice and Martin Provensen is folded in quarters (for mailing) as issued, and is in Very Fine condition. The Provensens won the Caldecott Medal for Glorious Flight (NY: Viking) in 1984 and illustrated Nancy Willard’s Newbery Award-winning A Visit to William Blake’s Inn (NY: HBJ, 1982) as well as contributing to numerous titles (including Margaret Wise Brown’s The Color Kittens) in the Little Golden Book line. In this 1957 CBW poster, children wander through a landscape of giant volumes, “Explor(ing) with Books.”