Once Upon a Playground: A Celebration of Classic American Playgrounds, 1920-1975 by Brenda Biondo

Are you interested in taking a walk down memory lane? Do you long for those thrilling days of yesteryear when children were free to go to the neighborhood playground alone? Brenda Biondo’s book is filled with nostalgia of the sweetest kind--the idealized childhood. A collection of old and present-day photographs as well as pictures from advertisements and catalogs of the past, Once Upon a Playground: A Celebration of Classic American Playgrounds, 1920-1975 examines the development of not only the American playground but also the concept of playground safety for children. Swings, slides and jungle gyms changed a bit over the course of the twentieth century while merry-go-rounds and teeter-totters became hard to find. Indeed, the towering metal slide, the six-person climbing swing and the swaying merry-go-round look like they’d be great fun until someone gets hurt. From the 1920’s to the 1950’s playground equipment consisted of basic sturdy metal bars and wooden seats to climb, swing and spin on. In the 1960’ and 70’s, playground equipment was designed to be a bit safer, more colorful and more fanciful. Swings and climbing apparatus were based on cartoon and movie characters, rocket ships and mythical creatures. However, the basic actions of swinging, sliding and climbing could not be improved upon. They remained the mainstay of the fun throughout the twentieth century.  This book contains many interesting pictures showing a life gone by, even a few from Milwaukee! (pages xiii and 13). 

Check out Once Upon a Playground: A Celebration of Classic American Playgrounds, 1920-1975 @ the library!