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 16-1/4” color poster is by the children’s illustrator team of Alice and Martin Provensen. 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. This Herald Tribune Children’s Spring Book Festival poster is printed on heavy stock, dates from the 1950’s, and is in Fine condition. The Pied Piper carries an armful of books as children race after him.