Timeless tales are reaching a new generation of readers courtesy of G&D Vintage, Grosset & Dunlap’s program re-launching select titles from the house’s venerable Wonder Books imprint. Originally published in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s and long out of print, the revived picture books are being plucked from a cache of some 200 Wonder Books titles, many created by children’s book luminaries of the era.

On sale February 5, the inaugural G&D Vintage releases are Bunny Hopwell’s First Spring by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Rachel Dixon; The Noisy Clock Shop by Jean Horton Berg, illustrated by Art Seiden; Seiden’s My ABC Book; and The Too Little Fire Engine by Jane Flory. “Grosset & Dunlap has such a rich history and so many wonderful books on the backlist, that we’re always looking through what we have,” said Eve Adler, senior editor of Grosset & Dunlap and Price Stern Sloan, explaining the genesis of the new program. “When we unearthed copies of the original Wonder Books, we realized that these were gems that we wanted to bring back into print. So many well-known authors and artists contributed to the line, and we cherry-picked the books we thought were the strongest, and that represented a variety of themes – storybooks, concept books, animals, toys. We’re curating the list carefully to make sure that there is something for everyone.”

The paper-over-board G&D Vintage releases have a slightly larger trim size than the original books, but feature the same cover art and design and interior illustrations – with a few tweaks and updates.

“We did a slight redesign for some of the covers, and chose new fonts for some of the books, to do a little branding to make them feel more of a series,” explained Sara Corbett, associate art director of G&D and PSS. “We scanned the old books and cleaned up the art to restore it to closer to what it would have looked like originally, since some of the colors had faded. We also worked on improving the resolution of some of the art, given the printing limitations of the earlier times.”

The second wave of G&D Vintage titles arrives in June, with The Animals’ Vacation by Shel Haber, The Bingity-Bangity School Bus by Fleur Conkling, and Mr. Wishing Went Fishing by Irma Wilde, illustrated by George Wilde.

Adler noted that the publishing schedule for the series is open-ended and flexible, “depending on what books we feel will work in various seasons and markets.” For instance, she said, “Bunny Hopwell’s First Spring is a charming story that is perfect for Easter and spring. There is certainly no shortage of seasonal and holiday books on the backlist. In fact, across all categories, we have an enormous number of wonderful books to choose from. We’re excited about this great opportunity to reintroduce these classics to today’s children.”

Bunny Hopwell’s First Spring by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Rachel Dixon. G&D Vintage, $7.99 Feb. ISBN 978-0-448-48463-1)

The Noisy Clock Shop by Jean Horton Berg, illus. by Art Seiden. G&D Vintage, $7.99 Feb. ISBN 978-0-448-48216-3)

My ABC Book, illus. by Art Seiden. G&D Vintage, $7.99 Feb. ISBN 978-0-448-48215-6)

The Too Little Fire Engine by Jane Flory. G&D Vintage, $7.99 Feb. ISBN 978-0-448-48217-0)