Little Golden Books launched in 1942 and sold at 25 cents each. They changed publishing history in that for the first time, children's books were high quality and low-priced. They were available to almost all children, not just a privileged few. Since then, over two billion Golden Books have been sold.
Here are some of the titles that have been rejected:
1. You Are Different and That's Bad
2. The Boy Who Died From Eating All His Vegetables
3. Daddy's New Wife Robert
4. Fun Four-Letter Words to Know and Share
5. Hammers, Screwdrivers, and Scissors: An I-Can-Do-It Book
6. The Kid's Guide to Hitchhiking
7. Kathy Was So Bad Her Mum Stopped Loving Her
8. Curious George and the High-Voltage Fence
9. Curious George and the House of Ill Repute
10. All Cats Go To Hell
11. The Little Sissy Who Snitched
12. Some Kittens Can Fly
13. That's It, I'm Putting You Up For Adoption
14. Grandpa Gets A Casket
15. The Magic World Inside The Abandoned Refrigerator
16. Garfield Gets Feline Leukemia
17. The Pop-Up Book of Human Anatomy
18. Strangers Have The Best Candy
19. Whining, Kicking, And Crying To Get Your Way
20. You Were An Accident
21. We Really Do Love Your Sister More
22. Things Rich Kids Have And You Never Will
23. Pop! Goes The Hamster and Other Fun Microwave Games
24. The Man in the Moon Is Actually Satan
25. Your Nightmares Are Real
26. Where Would You Like To Be Buried?
27. Eggs, Toilet Paper, and Your School
28. Why Can't Mr. Fork and Ms. Electrical Outlet Be Friends?
29. Places Where Mommy and Daddy Hide Neat Things
30. Daddy Drinks Because You Cry
31. People Who Are Better Than You
32. Bugs You Can Eat
33. Why You'll Never Be Good Enough
34. Where Do Syringes Come From?
35. Things That Go Boom and Things That Light Fires
36. 50 Fun Glue Games
37. Everybody Is Okay Except You
38. What's In A Joint?
39. Mummy's Pills Taste Just Like Candy
40. Learn How To Fly With Just a Ladder and a Pillowcase