I grew up with children’s books, and truly loved the stories. Every evening, a favorite book of mine renewed a spark of imagination before bedtime. Story time was the fun part of school while delivering life’s lessons and eventually encouraging me to read. Those books provide me the adventure I craved, allowed me to become a hero for a day and granted me permission to visit new worlds in my daydreams.

The books also gave me and my classmates our very first taste of typography and illustration. Those pictures welcomed us in, but it was the words which really hooked us and carried us away. Some books were easier to read, and some more difficult, depending on our age and reading ability. Word length, character size, and quantity of type versus white space on the page either created comfort or presented a challenge.

In the 70s, the time of my childhood, most of our classic children’s books were typeset in large typefaces from the classifications Humanist Serif (or Old Style) and Transitional Serif.

Classifications

Both serif styles differ in calligraphic style and stroke contrast, but they were both used in children’s books for their similar legibility. These two classes were popular for book typesetting because they are easy to read, mainly attributed from the following five characteristics.

Serif Class

1. High x-height The x-height of a character refers to the visual size of the typestyle, not the point size. Compare the heights of the lowercase ‘x’ from a Humanist Serif to another typeface, and that will give you an idea of how ‘large’ and legible it is.

x height

Both of these are Transitional Serifs, but Baskerville is easier to read than Mrs. Eaves, because of its high x-height.

2. Large counters Another indication of letterform size is in the size of the counters. Letters containing closed counters include A, B, D, O, P, Q, R, a, b, d, e, g, o, p, and q. Open counters have apertures (open “mouths”) and exist in the letters c, f, h, i, s and so on. When the counters are larger, they are easier to read.

3. Wide bracketed serifs Brackets are the curved connection between the stem and serif. Think of a wall being a stem and a shelf being a serif. A bracket is used under the shelf to hold it up. Wide serifs with brackets help the reader identify the letter.

4. Double-story allographs Allographs are considered variants of a letter. The lowercase versions of letter g and letter a have two types of variants. The one we learned how to write in grade school penmanship is single-story. The alternative is double-story. The double-story variants are easier to read because there’s more visual indicators in the letterform.

Allographs

5. Moderate contrast in stroke variation due to calligraphic origins When there is some contrast and stroke distinction in the letterform, it aids in readability.

The overall layout of the text pages implies the reading level. Large format, type size, white space and illustrations will visually communicate that the book is for beginners. Smaller page size, smaller type size and dense copy with little or no visuals will appeal to older readers. When a child opens the book, they know if they can read it or not, before reading any of the words.

The book Corduroy by Don Freeman (1976) is about a bear who wanders around a department store after closing time. It was a favorite of mine when I was very young. Looking at the text page, the copy is set in a classic Humanist typeface called Palatino, which has a large x-height and wide counters. Only one or two sentences are set at a time, which indicates the book is for toddlers.

Corduroy

Early readers love Little Golden Books. I used to carry my 12-book box set around the house and would pull out the gold-spined volumes one-by-one. One of the originals, The Poky Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey (1942) is also set in a Humanist typeface, Garamond.

The Poky Little Puppy

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White (1952) is a book written for tween readers. The page is set in Caslon, which has been classified both as Humanist and Transitional Serif.

Charlotte's Web

Pull out your old books and take a look inside. Most of the classics were set in serif. And more recent ones, depending on their concept, might be set in sans serif. Either way, they probably have large x-heights, wide characters, and two-story allographs to keep kids reading.

Which books did you love as a child? Did they have memorable typesetting? Please share your favorite books and tidbit ideas on Twitter, don’t forget to tag @TypeEd. I’d love to know what typography first influenced you as a young reader.

All book images are sourced courtesy of Google books and material copyrighted by their authors.

Rachel Elnar is the producer and co-founder at TypeEd, where she helps bring the craft of typography back to design education. Get more type in your inbox and sign up for more about TypeEd columns (and other announcements).

Hello there!

My name is Nina. I live in the city of dreamers, a city built on ever-growing myths and freeway systems: the crazy town called Los Angeles. I am 23 years old, mostly excited about the world (minus global warming and the possibility of eventual destruction of the earth by human hands), full of passion and creative yearnings, and…jobless.

I majored in English and minored in Philosophy at a small liberal arts college outside Philadelphia called Haverford College. Although my studies are ostensibly less applicable to the market than say a degree in something like sustainable engineering, I made sure to explore options along the way.

I went on an archeological dig, only to discover I didn’t want to be an archeologist. I took a summer course at Oxford University to develop my creative writing skills. Each summer, I delved into my love of theater by helping out at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. I tried my hand in the film industry as a production intern. I explored my love of music as an intern at a New York City music label, and have continued to do so by writing for two different music blogs.

Here I am, now six months post grad, and for all my internships and skill building, I am still just as lost. I don’t really know what kind of job I want because my interests pull me in a million different directions, and then on top of that, when I see a job that entices me and brings me closer to an answer, it’s unattainable.

Here I am, metaphorically not literally alongside you as we try to wade through this oft terrifying job market swampland; as we get stuck in the slow moving sludge that always manages to get stuck in our shoes down in between our toes making us unsure of our footing, extra uncomfortable, and giving us serious resting bitch face during this supposedly “oh-so-exciting-figuring-everything-out” stage.

In Nina’s Notes, I will share tidbits and insights as my journey unfolds. Including, but not limited to:
• My tragic failed attempts at networking
• The difficulty of finding time to search for a job while also doing two internships, volunteering, being a research assistant, and writing for two blogs, all the while trying to stay “in the know” and be a person all at the same time (a.k.a. learning how to say “no”)
• Navigating the minefield that is informational interviews
• Developing habits and hobbies that keep me sane
• My clinically unproven method of “resume attacks”
• Persisting in the face of being told “no, no, no”

I invite you to follow along as I essay to build up a life that reflects me and has an impact on the world, and hopefully find a way to support myself along the way!

Meet Nina, a recent graduate of a liberal arts college, with many passions, interests, and skills…and no job. We invite you to join her (and commiserate) as she struggles wading through the post-graduate swamp world. A creative at heart, and most likely a mermaid in another life, when she is not at the pool, she can be found writing, reviewing music for The Wild Honey Pie and OurVinyl, making art with her friends, goofing around on Photoshop, cooking, or frolicking amongst foliage while dreaming of how to save the planet from destruction by human hands.