dick bruna

Bruna wrote and illustrated 124 books for children over six decades, beginning with “De Appel” (“The Apple”) published in the Netherlands in 1953. The book, which tells the story of life from the perspective of an apple,has never gone out of print.

Most of Dick Bruna’s children’s books have four lines of text on every other page. The last word of the second line rhymes with the last word of the fourth line. The sentences have a pleasant cadence, which is immediately apparent when you read them out loud.

More than 85 million copies of Dick Bruna’s books have been printed over the years. The books have been translated into more than 50 languages and are read by children all over the world.

In February 2011, his books appeared in Russian (50th languauge) for the first time. This was a wish come true for Dick Bruna.

This makes the text ideal for young children, because it is pleasant on the ear and the rhyme makes it easier for children to memorise the text. Some of Dick’s books don’t have any text at all. The pictures tell the story.

The Father Of Miffy

In 1955, the Bruna family were on holiday in the seaside village of Egmond aan Zee. Every night, Dick Bruna would tell his eldest son Sierk a bedtime story about a white bunny that lived in the garden of their holiday cottage. That white bunny inspired Miffy.

He introduced her in his second book, naming her by shortening the Dutch word for rabbit, konijntje, to Nijntje, which is what she is called in the Netherlands. Her official birthday is on June 21st and she celebrated her 65th anniversary in 2020!