Kate Greenaway's vision of arcadian childhood dramatically changed the art of the picture book. Her work was innovative in its imaginative renderings of a romanticized childhood, a departure in subject matter from traditional folklore for children. Greenaway's books represent the apotheosis of artistic picture books, with attention to the artistry of the book from cover to cover, especially in the key element of color. Her stature was recognized at the time and continues to be acknowledged in the modern age--virtually every historical survey of children's literature mentions her work in the development of the picture book. Greenaway titles continue to be published through the Warne/Viking imprint, and her stylized images are commercially produced on posters, stationery, coloring books, paper dolls, and needlework patterns. In some ways the Greenaway style is still as much an article of folk culture as it was in her time.

Kate Greenaway was...