Eloise Wilkin facts for kids

Eloise Margaret Wilkin (born Eloise Margaret Burns; March 30, 1904 – October 4, 1987) was a famous American artist. She was best known for drawing pictures for Little Golden Books. These are popular children's books. Many of the picture books she illustrated are now considered classics.

Her drawings often showed glowing pictures of babies, toddlers, and their parents. She drew them in peaceful home settings or beautiful outdoor places. Jane Werner Watson, who wrote and edited many Golden Books, called Eloise Wilkin "the soul of Little Golden Books." Her books are still very popular today.

Eloise Wilkin's Early Life

Eloise Wilkin was born on March 30, 1904, in Rochester, New York. She was the third of four children. When she was two years old, her family moved to New York City.

However, every summer, Eloise and her siblings would visit relatives in western New York State. These summer memories of family and nature greatly influenced her famous drawings. At age 11, Eloise won a drawing contest for New York schoolchildren. She later graduated from the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute in 1923. This school is now known as the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Her Career as an Artist

After college, Eloise and her friend Joan Esley opened an art studio in Rochester, New York. They struggled to find work, so they moved to New York City. There, Century Company gave Eloise her first book to illustrate, called The Shining Hours.

Many of her early drawings were for school books. She also illustrated paper dolls for companies like Samuel Gabriel & Sons. Eloise often worked with her sister, Esther Burns Wilkin, who was a children's author. Their first book together was Mrs. Peregrine and the Yak.

Illustrating Golden Books

In 1944, Eloise Wilkin signed a special contract with Simon & Schuster. This company published the original Little Golden Books. Her contract meant she had to illustrate three books every year.

She often used her own children, grandchildren, and their friends as models for her drawings. Eloise was a very religious person. Because of this, she often illustrated religious picture books, including several collections of prayers for children.

Eloise sometimes updated her drawings to match new ideas in society. For example, in The New Baby, first published in 1948, the expectant mother didn't look pregnant. For the 1975 reprinting, Eloise decided to draw the mother more realistically.

Also, the 1954 cover of The New Baby showed a baby sleeping on its tummy. For the 1975 edition, she changed this. This was because people learned more about sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The first 1956 edition of My Little Golden Book about God only showed white children. In 1974, Wilkin redrew some pages to include children of different races.

Many of Eloise Wilkin's drawings for Golden Books appeared on other items. These included calendars, puzzles, and record covers for Little Golden Records. Her art was also found on china plates, Hallmark Cards, and in magazines like Child's Life. Wilkin's Golden Books have been published in many languages, including French, Spanish, and Swedish.

Designing Dolls

In 1960, a company called Vogue Dolls, Inc. released the first doll designed by Eloise Wilkin. This doll was called "Baby Dear." It came in two sizes and was very popular.

Even Nikita Khrushchev, a leader from the Soviet Union, bought 13 of these dolls during his visit to New York City in 1960. In total, Eloise designed eight dolls for Vogue and Madame Alexander. The books Baby Dear and So Big, written by Esther Wilkin and illustrated by Eloise Wilkin, even featured the Eloise Wilkin dolls.

Her Family Life

Eloise Wilkin married Sidney Wilkin on August 18, 1930. She took ten years off from illustrating to raise her four children. Their names were Ann, Sidney, Deborah, and Jeremy.

Later Life and Death

Eloise Wilkin passed away from cancer on October 4, 1987. She was 83 years old. She is buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Rochester, New York.

Books Illustrated by Eloise Wilkin

Eloise Wilkin illustrated 47 Little Golden Book titles. Some of them include:

• Good Little Bad Little Girl
• My Little Golden Book About God
• Poems to Read to the Very Young
• The Christmas Story
• Evening Prayer
• A Giant Little Golden Book Of Birds
• Wonders of Nature
• The Wonders of the Seasons
• We Like Kindergarten
• Prayers for Children
• The Goodnight Book
• Baby Dear
• Baby Listens
• Baby Looks
• Baby's Mother Goose
• Baby's Christmas
• The Christmas ABC
• Babies
• This World of Ours
• We Help Daddy
• We Help Mommy
• The Visit
• Play With Me
• Baby's Birthday
• The Treasury of Prayers From Around the World
• So Big
• A Baby is Born
• Hansel and Gretel
• The Tune Is In the Tree
• The Boy With a Drum
• Busy Timmy
• Guess Who Lives Here
• Where Did the Baby Go?
• The Little Book
• A Child's Garden of Verses
• My Dolly and Me
• Eloise Wilkin's Book of Poems.