I’m really enthusiastic about a latest exhibition opening in my local museum next month. It guarantees to prompt joyful memories of childhood for a lot of older people – and perhaps remind them of after they first learnt about Jesus.
‘The Wonderful World of the Ladybird Artists’Â goals to “uncover the story of the talented artists who illustrated Ladybird books for greater than 30 years.” It’s an enchanting exhibition that has already been staged in UK towns from Canterbury to Northumberland.
The organisers say: “This vibrant, family-friendly exhibition includes rare books, original artwork and artefacts, and divulges how illustrators played such an unlimited role in Ladybird’s extraordinary success.”
The bestselling Ladybird books covered a wide selection of subjects from biographies to fairy tales, from science to travel, and lots of more. My childhood favourite was ‘Tootles the Taxi,’ which showed various kinds of cars, vans and other vehicles with easy rhymes and delightful illustrations. I still have a replica on my bookshelf today!
But Ladybird books also played an important role in 1000’s of Sunday Schools and churches within the UK and lots of other English-speaking countries from the Nineteen Forties until well into the Seventies. I think some Sunday School libraries still stock a couple of…
For many children and young people, Ladybird books were their first introduction to the Bible, with quite a few parents, grandparents and carers reading them as bedtime stories. ‘Easy Reading’ versions helped many children examine Jesus for themselves.
I’ve been collecting a few of the Bible-based copies of the Ladybird books from local charity shops, with titles equivalent to ‘Stories about Jesus the Helper,’ ‘Children of the Bible’ and ‘Two Stories Jesus Told,’ featuring the classic parables, the Good Samaritan and The Prodigal Son.
I’ve been struck by the faithful retelling of the Bible stories, and the standard of the illustrations that go alongside the narrative. They make a great introduction to the Christian faith.
There are prayer books too, including the stunning ‘Ladybird Book of Prayers through the Year,’ with illustrations and prayers for every month.
There’s also a Ladybird book a couple of flight to The Holy Land, with children exploring the Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem and Nazareth. Published in 1962, the book explains, “In this excellent land of the Bible – the house of the tribes of Israel and the setting of the New Testament – a latest nation is being built.”
These well-produced, vibrant books were a staple of many scripture classes and Sunday School prize-givings and helped form the Biblical understanding of a generation of kids. Today, the books have grow to be very collectible, with prices on the rise. There could also be hidden riches on bookshelves or in garages within the UK and beyond.
One experienced adviser on kid’s ministry told me: “Oh the memories! I grew up on Ladybird books. They at all times gave an accurate portrayal of the Biblical stories using appropriate and compelling language. I also appear to keep in mind that they didn’t shrink back from a few of the more unsavoury narratives.”
Ladybird books were, naturally, a product of their times with, for instance, the skin tones of Jesus and the apostles often lighter than what reality might need been. The books were produced for a time when Bible stories were more widely known, and families were routinely depicted as mum, dad, a son and a daughter.
In recent years, more strange incarnations of Ladybird books – equivalent to ‘The Ladybird Book of the Zombie Apocalypse’ – have introduced a latest audience to the Ladybird style, with an ironic, comic twist.
Personally, I much prefer the originals – and I value the role that Ladybird books played in introducing Christ and Bible stories to many children and young people. It’s a wealthy heritage to recollect and to treasure.
Rev Peter Crumpler is a Church of England minister in St Albans, Herts, UK and a former communications director with the CofE.
