The exhibition Young at Art: A Selection of Caldecott Book Illustrations presents original illustrations from classic children’s literature. These pieces are widely recognized not only as artistic classics but also as the source of countless beloved memories for the young and young at heart. The exhibition includes original illustrations from Caldecott Medal recipients, “runner-up” Honor books, as well as other illustrations by award-winning artists. Young at Art celebrates the vision and talent of twenty-eight award-winning artists, including the first Caldecott Award recipient Dorothy P. Lathrop (1938), two-time winner Chris Van Allsburg (1982, 1986), and Maurice Sendak (1964), whose work Where the Wild Things Are, like Van Allsburg’s Jumanji and The Polar Express, was adapted for the big screen.

The Caldecott Collection of Children’s Book Illustrations is part of the permanent collection of the Wichita Falls Museum of Art at Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, Texas. The museum has collected children’s book illustrations for more than fifty years. Curated by Danny Bills, curator of collections and exhibitions at Wichita Falls Museum of Art, and organized by Wichita Falls Museum of Art at Midwestern State University, Young at Art is part of ExhibitsUSA, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance with support from the Nebraska Arts Council and The National Endowment for the Arts.

Pictured: Leonard Weisgard (1916–2000), Mother Hen, c 1947; acrylic, 15 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches; Courtesy of Wichita Falls Museum of Art at Midwestern State University.