A Look at Vernon Grant's Promotional Books for Kids My personal collection of illustrated premiums and books by American illustrator, Vernon Grant. "Tiny Tower" - 1934, "Mother Goose" - 1933, "The Cow and the Silver Cream" - 1944, "Flibbity Jibbit" - 1943, and Kellogg's "Fold Yourself A Lot of Pictures" -1933 You may not know him by name, but you know his work. Vernon Grant (April 26, 1902 – July 9, 1990) is the creator of the Kellogg’s characters Snap! Crackle! and Pop! In 1938, Life magazine called him "America's favorite children's artist." Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, his illustrations appeared on major magazines, cereal boxes, advertising and collectible premiums such as posters and books. It's these premiums which first made me aware of this great illustrator. I hope you enjoy this very brief introduction to the art of Vernon Grant. Years ago I found a small Kellogg's Rice Krispies flip book at an antique market. "Fold yourself a lot of pictures" it read. It delivered on that promise. I was impressed by the whimsical art and the cleverness of the booklet. I bought it. There was a very distinctive signature on it - "Vernon Grant". I thought, "This is a guy I need to see more of." I love promotional giveaways and Grant's are among the best. Since then, I have added to this collection and am always looking for more of Grant's premiums. Then I found Flibbity Jibbit, a promotional kids book that told the tale of a key-keeper, a king, and a little bird named Flibbity Jibbit. Their journey to find the key to unlock the door that held Junket's Rennet Powder for the king's custard party is told by Grant in an illustrated 32 page fairy tale. It was adorable! It also made me want to make some custard. I guess advertising really does work! Grant's style is very economical and not overly rendered. He often makes use of three color tones to create volume with a dark, middle, and light. But more importantly, his drawings have character. A lamp is not just a lamp, it's full of personality. It feels as if even a shoe can be your friend in Vernon Grant's world. His compositions make use of circles and solid shapes. Buildings and backgrounds can be bold and abstract in nature, similar to the German Expressionist movement of the 1920s and 1930s, creating a world full of dream-like twists and turns. He utilizes classic design principles of color and tone to keep the viewer focused on the center of interest. A signature look of his work is the use of solid color backgrounds, often black. Today, these commercial premiums are in the form of activity books, not story books, with puzzles, games and coloring pages replacing story driven themes. I'll be posting an article and samples of my work in this field of illustration sometime soon. In the meantime, to see a small selection of my illustrated kids premiums and books, please visit my website.
BOOKS I RECOMMEND
All the images are from my personal collection.
Tara Slowik
3/25/2018 07:56:45 pm
Very informative article. Also made me appreciate the world of illustration. I never realized how much of an impact I’ll lustration can have on how we view the art around us. Comments are closed.
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Joe LaceyI produce illustrations and creative idea solutions for toys, packaging, publishing and advertising. ON SALE NOW!ADULT COLORING BOOKS by Joe Lacey 
Famous Illustrators of the Golden Age Coloring Portfolio – $8.99 on AMAZON.
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