Starting in 1937 and slightly reconfigured in 1941, the New York Herald Tribune began to award prizes to outstanding children’s books each spring. At the time, these awards were considered by many, both inside and outside the publishing world, as the equivalent of the Caldecott and Newbery medals. Each year, a major children’s illustrator would create a poster for the festival, the vast majority of which were destroyed following the celebration.

This original 22 x 17” color poster by children’s author/illustrator Crockett Johnson (Barnaby, The Carrot Seed, A Picture for Harold’s Room) is printed on heavy stock and is in Fine condition. Johnson’s most famous creation, Harold (from Harold and the Purple Crayon [NY: Harper Bros.]) stands on a pile of books and draws the moon in the sky. One of the rarest and most sought-after Spring Book Festival posters.