Paul Faucher introduced the Pere Castor series of children's books with the French publisher Flammarion in 1931. Pere Castor broke from the tradition of expensive illustrated gift books for children and democratised books for the younger reader. Parain [Natalia Tchelpanova 1897-1958] was among the first illustrators of the series and several Eastern European artists were also employed bringing a fresh modernist vision to children's illustration.