Summer brings a large number of youth camp groups to the Museum’s galleries. We thought it would be a great opportunity to display books from the Libraries and Archives collections, which would appeal to young readers and viewers. Keith Duquette, Library Preservation Associate, enthusiastically searched through our collection and brought together a selection of wonderfully illustrated children’s books. The books are in two cases – one outside the Library and the other next to the reading room – on the second floor of the Museum. The inspiration for this display was a charming book published in Tokyo in 1888 called The Silly Jelly-fish.

A few other books and prints we have included are a beautifully illustrated book entitled The Sleeping Beauty and Other Fairy Tales from the Old French retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch and illustrated by Edmund Dulac (from the Library) and three wonderful prints of Japanese toys found in the Culin Archival Collection (from the Archives).

The Silly Jelly-fish retold by B.H. Chamberlain (Tokyo: Kobunsha, 1888)

Japanese toy plates. Culin Archival Collection: Games.

More photos of the books can be found on Flickr.