Walter Crane (1845-1915) was one of the earliest contributors to children’s literature and one of the most influential illustrators in the development of children’s colour picture books. Crane began working for Edmund Evans in 1864 producing bright, colourful children’s books which revolutionised the type of children’s books available. He created a series of ‘Toy Books’ between 1865-1875 which contained fairy stories, nursery rhymes and other tales of adventures. His wonderful Japanese influenced illustrations with their bright, bold, flat colour and black outline never failed to entertain both children and adults. This book ‘The Sleeping Beauty Picture Book’ is one of many ‘Toy Books’, it contains the stories, The Sleeping Beauty, Blue Beard and The Baby’s Own Alphabet. Many of the earliest children’s books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Pook Press are working to republish these classic works in affordable, high quality, colour editions, using the original text and artwork so these works can delight another generation of children.