Golden Books are some of the most popular children's books. Originally produced by the Western Publishing Company, which began publishing them in 1942, the Golden Books line of illustrated children's story books have durable covers framed by a familiar golden-colored design. The original Golden Books, created with the Artists and Writers Guild, had forty-two pages and sold for twenty-five cents. Some of the most well-known original titles include Pat the Bunny, one of the first touch-and-feel books, Scuffy the Tugboat, and The Poky Little Puppy.

By the 1990s, the Golden Book line of children's books included more than one thousand titles. Along with the original titles, the Golden Book series has also included tales about familiar characters like Lassie (see entry under 1940s—Film and Theater in volume 3), the Lone Ranger (see entry under 1930s— TV and Radio in volume 2), and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (see entry...