Posted by Caldecott Medal First Edition Identification
Prayer For A Child; written by Rachel Field; illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones; Macmillan; 1944.
1945 Caldecott Medal Award
Children’s Picturebook Price Guide value – $360 VG+
A year earlier, Elizabeth Orton Jones won a Caldecott Honor award for her illustrations in Small Rain (Viking, 1943, $280). Twig (Macmillan, 1942, $240) and Big Susan (Macmillan, 1948, $220) are two of her better known books, both difficult to find in first edition collectible condition. Likely her most sought after title is the Little Golden Book, Little Red Riding Hood (Golden, 1948, $220).
First Edition Identification
Title page: Last line with year of publication, as follows:
New York ● THE MACMILLAN COMPANY ● 1944
Non-essential identifying points
Dust jacket price $1.50
Copyright page
Indicates two copyright dates, as follows:
The text was copyrighted in 1941, the illustrations in 1944 (with the publication of this book).
Rachel Field, author of Prayer For A Child, won the Newbery Medal in 1930 for her book, Hitty, Her First Hundred Years. She wrote Prayer For A Child for her daughter, Hannah, in 1941 – in what book/magazine was the poem published (else why copyright)?
Post The Blog Post
Many thanks to Jeff Falco (aka “Regards, Jeff”, of the Bookfinder Insider user group) for the answer to the above question: The poem Prayer For A Child first appeared in the Dec. 21, 1941 issue of the newspaper magazine insert, THIS WEEK. Courtesy Mr. Falco:
“Do not be misled by those who would tell you that the first publication of “Prayer for a Child” was in the July-August 1942 issue of THE HORN BOOK, page 283, the issue dedicated to Rachel Field.
The poem actually first appeared in THIS WEEK magazine, formerly the NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE MAGAZINE, for December 21, 1941. THIS WEEK was a national Sunday magazine distributed in a number of Sunday newspapers (kind of like the PARADE of today).”
The magazine cover:
