As children, millions of Americans made fast friends with the Saggy Baggy Elephant, the Poky Little Puppy, Scuffy the Tugboat and the Color Kittens.

When those children grew up to become parents, they introduced their own little ones to the timeless characters in the Little Golden Books.

This year marks the 65th year those classic tomes have been sold. To celebrate, the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature hosts the premiere of "Golden Legacy: Original Art from 65 Years of Golden Books."

Sixty original pieces of art from 45 of the books grace the walls of the NCCIL, certain to bring back happy childhood memories to readers of all ages. The books represented in the show range from "The Poky Little Puppy," one of the first 12 Little Golden Books that were published in 1942, to "The Red Lemon," published in 2006.

Diane Muldrow, an editorial director at Golden Books, a subsidiary of Random House Inc., curated the exhibit with Leonard S. Marcus, an authority on children's books and the author of "Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children's Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became an American Icon Along the Way."

The NCCIL's choice as the site of the exhibit's debut before it travels to various cities in the United States came out of a trip taken by the museum's former executive director, Sue McKeon. She had a three-hour lunch with Marcus in New York. He later called McKeon and asked if the NCCIL was interested in hosting the show, said Kathy Morehead, development director for the museum.

Muldrow, who has been at Golden Books for 15 years, said the books changed the world in many ways.

When the first 12 books were issued in 1942, at the height of World War II, they cost 25 cents each -- a price that just about anyone could afford, she said. Children's picture books at that time cost $2 to $3, putting them out of the reach of many families, Muldrow said.

The Golden Books most likely attributed to higher literacy in the United States and contributed to children embracing the love of reading, Muldrow said.

"I think the best thing about Golden Books is that they've always had such an appeal to children. They have reached more than 2 billion children around the world," she said. "That says something about the power of these books."

Brady Nichols, local program manager for the exhibit, worked with Muldrow and Marcus to ensure that the exhibition design at the NCCIL meshed with their vision for the show.

The exhibit not only displays various books from the Golden Book library, it lets museum-goers learn more about the talent and breadth of the illustrators who created such a diverse collection of children's picture books.

"This collection really showcases their individuality," Nichols said.

Garth Williams is known for illustrating Golden Book classics such as "Home for a Bunny" and "Mister Dog," the "Little House" books, and E.B. White books such as "Charlotte's Web" and "Stuart Little."

Williams was a European émigré, as were other Golden Books illustrators Feodor Rojankovsky and Tibor Gergely. All had fled the worsening situation in World War II-era Europe.

Swedish-born Gustaf Tenggren's range of work can be seen in "The Poky Little Puppy" and Tenggren's "King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table."

He, like a number of other Golden Book artists, was a veteran of the Walt Disney Studios. His credits include "Snow White" and "Pinocchio."

Not only did the books introduce children to talented artists, they changed the face of children's picture books. Until the launch of Little Golden Books, children's books rarely strayed from fairy tales, elves and other make-believe subject matter, Muldrow said.

The cutting-edge educators of the time noted that children found the things right outside their door fascinating, such as fire trucks and trains and other children, she said.

"I Can Fly," a story by Ruth Krause, published in the 1950s, follows a young girl as she explores her world, exclaiming, "A bird can fly, so can I. A cow can moo, I can, too."

The book gave credit and center-stage attention to a child's imagination, something relatively unknown at that time. This kind of stepping-beyond-the-norm was the beginning of what America now takes for granted in children's picture books, Muldrow said.

Marcus said the focus of many of the early Golden Books on the "here-and-now" aspect of children's lives is because of the influence of visionary educator Lucy Sprague Mitchell. Mitchell founded the Bank Street College of Education in 1916 and she and her students wrote a number of Golden Books, such as Margaret Wise Brown's "Good Night, Moon."

With 65 years worth of art to choose from, Muldrow said it was difficult to winnow it down to 60 pieces of work. She set criteria for herself as she looked through the possibilities.

She needed to include perennial favorites such as "The Poky Little Puppy" and "The Color Kittens," but she also wanted to include images that are timeless for children. She also wanted to show the range of artists in the archives.

"At one point, I realized we had a lot of cuddly animals," Muldrow said. "Of course, you definitely need your cuddly animals, but I knew we needed a battle scene and a ballroom scene."

She needed costumes and period work represented, and needed to show babies in the books. Newer volumes in the Golden Book library needed to be displayed, too. She wanted people to know that the company is constantly releasing new books -- books that will become the classics of tomorrow.

Muldrow wanted all this, and to demonstrate the impact Golden Books had on the way children read books.

"It was hard and agonizing. But how much fun did I have agonizing," Muldrow said with a laugh.

"Golden Legacy: Original Art from 65 Years of Golden Books"

Where: National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, 102 Cedar St.

How much: Free.

When: Today through Jan. 4. Open 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. the second Thursday of the month.

Of note:

• Gallery talk with Diane Muldrow, editorial director at Golden Books, and Leonard S. Marcus, author of "Golden Legacy: How Golden Books Won Children's Hearts, Changed Publishing Forever, and Became an American Icon Along the Way," 3 p.m. Friday, at the NCCIL.

• Children's activity, 1-4 p.m. Saturday, at the NCCIL

Little Golden Books trivia

Debuted: 1942

Average cost through the years

1942 -- 25 cents

1962 -- 29 cents

1968 -- 39 cents

1977 -- 59 cents

1982 -- 89 cents

1986 -- 99 cents

2007 -- $2.95

Number of children who've read Golden Books: 2 billion

Best-selling children's picture book of all time: "The Poky Little Puppy"

The 12 books that started it all: "The Poky Little Puppy," "The Three Little Kittens," "Bedtime Stories," "The Alphabet A-Z," "Mother Goose," "Prayers for Children," "Little Red Hen," "Nursery Songs," "Golden Book of Fairy Tales," "Baby's Book," "The Animals of Farmer Jones," "This Little Piggy"