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Millions of children have grown up reading Little Golden Books. In 2017, Little Golden Books celebrated its 75th birthday. Here are four things to know about the collection.
It transformed the concept of a children's book.
Previous to the launch of Little Golden Books in 1942, children's books looked very different. Kids' picture books often came in big and heavy volumes and were sold only in bookstores. They cost between D|S2 and D|S3. That all changed when Simon & Schuster partnered Western Publishing. They became affordable children's books, costing just 25 cents each. They were placed in plain sight of young readers.
It produced the topselling children's book of the 20th century.
That book would be The Poky Little Puppy. It has sold almost 15 million copies since its publication in 1942. The tale of a dessertloving dog wasn't the only Little Golden Books hit. Titles like The Saggy Baggy Elephant and Scuffy the Tugboat also sold millions of copies.
Artists who fled Europe during World War Ⅱ found a home at Little Golden Books.
The publishers of Little Golden Books sought out talented commercial illustrators (插图画家) who had escaped the destruction of WWⅡ. Among these illustrators was Russian émigré Feodor Rojankovsky. He brought several Little Golden Books to life. One was Gaston and Josephine, a story about two pigs who run away from their homeland and start a new life in America.
Little Golden Books has taken steps to make positive changes.
In the 1960s, the series was criticized for failing to represent any black children in a book about the Central Park Zoo. The publishers initially brushed aside the charges. But after some time they published books that featured black characters.
语篇解读：本文是一篇应用文。文章主要介绍了著名童书系列《小金书》?Little Golden Books?四个值得了解的方面。
1．What were children's books before 1942 like?
A．Small and beyond the reach of ordinary families.
B．Big and easily seen by young readers.
C．Expensive and specific to bookshops.
D．Light and available only in bookstores.
解析：选C 细节理解题。根据第二段第一二句可知，1942年之前的童书仅书店有售；再对比1942年之前的童书价格“They cost between D|S2 and D|S3”和1942年新出的Little Golden Books系列童书的价格“costing just 25 cents each”可知，1942年之前的童书很贵。
2．What do we know about The Poky Little Puppy?
A．It is the only Little Golden Books hit.
B．It is about a dog fond of eating sweet food.
C．Its sales reached nearly 15 million in the 1900s.
D．It is related to the destruction of World War Ⅱ.
解析：选B 细节理解题。根据第三段的“The tale of a dessertloving dog wasn't the only Little Golden Books hit.”可知，The Poky Little Puppy描述的是一只喜欢甜食的狗。
3．How did Little Golden Books react to the criticism in the 1960s?
A．They made adjustments immediately.
B．They ignored it and went on like before.
C．They eventually addressed the prejudices.
D．They published a new book about a zoo.
解析：选C 推理判断题。根据最后一段中的“The publishers initially ...that featured black characters.”可知，起初出版商并没有把人们的指责当一回事，但过了一段时间他们出版了以黑人为主角的图书，由此可推知，他们最终设法处理了图书中的偏见问题。
