Dick Bruna by Bruce Ingman and Ramona Reihill

Image Source: New York Times

Do you love Miffy? I do. Do you marvel that a little character can convey so much emotion? Who is the illustrator Dick Bruna? How did he come to create the Miffy series and other loved children's books?

Miffy is anthropomorphic, a little white rabbit doing many of the everyday things that lots of children do. She was “born” when the author was on holiday with his family and started telling his son stories about a little rabbit in the garden. The Conversation

Nijnte is the original name of Miffy.  Do you wonder about the size? It just seems so perfect. The Miffy books were originally rectangular and portrait format with 23 full colour illustrations and a sans-serif font, no capitals on a white background. The first square format book appeared in 1959. Bruna's friend worked out that a sheet of poster paper folded into 15.5x15.5cm formed a square book and twelve illustrations and twelve pages of text could fit into each square. Bruna does not use capital letters because he "was doing what he felt was right, appealing to the 4-year-old inside him."

Dick Bruna was born in Holland in 1927 and he died in 2017. He wrote and illustrated 124 books for children over six decades, beginning with “De Appel” (“The Apple”) which was published in the Netherlands in 1953. 

Publisher Blurb: This latest instalment in The Illustrators on Dutch artist Dick Bruna (1927-2017) takes readers behind the scenes of the creation of some of the world's most endearing children's characters. Offering a deeper appreciation of the artistry and skills behind the international icon Miffy, fellow illustrator Bruce Ingman also reveals Bruna's lesser-known work, including his striking book and poster designs. A glimpse into his studio in Utrecht reveals a man of many media, including drawing, painting, collage and photography. All the elements of Bruna's extensive body of work, spanning book covers, posters, stamps and merchandise, are given due significance in this illuminating study of his reputation and success. By the time of Bruna's retirement, Miffy had become an industry in her own right and Bruna an international star far beyond the sphere of children's books. Ingman shows us how the simple complexity of Bruna's work appeals to children, artists and designers alike, capturing the imagination across ages and artistic disciplines.

Long before Dick Bruna created Miffy he worked on book covers for his family business. You can see many of them here. 

I have had this book about Dick Bruna for many months until finally I just decided I really should add this book to my checkout basket. I read the whole book in one, delicious sitting. If you are a fan of Miffy or of other books by Dick Bruna (his Chistmas book is very special) I highly recommend this book for adults. 

Miffy is on Facebook; and Instagram. Take a look at the Miffy shop UK to see so many of the books.

This book about Dick Bruna is one title from a series about famous illustrators published by Thames and Hudson.