Award-winning artist Charles Santore illustrated more than twenty children’s picture books, including Aesop’s Fables, The Wizard of Oz, and The Velveteen Rabbit. In addition to these touchstones of children’s literature, Santore wrote and illustrated storybooks of his own, including The Silk Princess and A Stowaway on Noah’s Ark.

Santore began his career as a commercial illustrator, working for advertising agencies and magazines. In the 1980s he turned to children’s illustration, beginning with The Tales of Peter Rabbit. Each book could take up to two years to complete, which gave him time to develop the characters and the worlds they live in.

Inside this coloring book are twenty-two black-and-white drawings that Santore made in preparation for his watercolor illustrations. The lush, full-color illustrations are reproduced on the inside of the front and back covers. We’ve also included a blank page at the end of the book, so you can draw and color your favorite characters from classic tales, or perhaps make up a fairy tale of your own.

Images

1. Benjamin Bunny tries on the scarecrow’s tam-o’-shanter. The Classic Tale of Peter Rabbit and Other Cherished Stories by Beatrix Potter
2. The Velveteen Rabbit and Skin Horse. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco
3. Snow White’s mother dreams of having a child. Snow White
4. “The Ox and the Frog.” Moral: Self-conceit may lead to self-destruction. Aesop’s Fables
5. Dorothy and friends with the Good Witch Glinda. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
6. Peter Rabbit samples a carrot or two, and some lettuce and radishes. The Classic Tale of Peter Rabbit and Other Cherished Stories by Beatrix Potter
7. The Fairy and the Rabbit. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco
8. Snow White’s stepmother, the evil queen, asks her mirror, “Who is fairest of us all?” Snow White
9. Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Woodman, the Lion, and Toto on their way to Oz. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
10. Peter Rabbit slips past the white cat staring at goldfish. The Classic Tale of Peter Rabbit and Other Cherished Stories by Beatrix Potter
11. Nana with the Velveteen Rabbit in the garden. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco
12. Snow White finds a cottage with seven little chairs and seven little beds. Snow White
13. Mr. Jeremy Fisher. “The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher,” The Classic Tale of Peter Rabbit and Other Cherished Stories by Beatrix Potter
14. The Flopsy Bunnies. The Classic Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies by Beatrix Potter
15. “The Monkey as King.” Moral: A position earned without merit is as easily lost as gained. Aesop’s Fables
16. Hunca Munca and Tom Thumb. “The Tale of Two Bad Mice,” The Classic Tale of Peter Rabbit and Other Cherished Stories by Beatrix Potter
17. Mr. and Mrs. Flopsy Bunny stuff Mr. McGregor’s sack with rotten vegetables. The Classic Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies by Beatrix Potter
18. In the morning, Snow White tells the dwarfs what happened. Snow White
19. “The Bear and the Bees.” Moral: It is better to bear a single injury in silence than to bring about a thousand by reacting in anger. Aesop’s Fables
20. Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, Peter, and Mother Rabbit. The Classic Tale of Peter Rabbit and Other Cherished Stories by Beatrix Potter
21. “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing.” Moral: Harm seek, harm find. Aesop’s Fables
22. Tom Thumb and Hunca Munca causing mischief. “The Tale of Two Bad Mice,” The Classic Tale of Peter Rabbit and Other Cherished Stories by Beatrix Potter