Dick Bruna's Simply Wonderful Illustrations; Miffy and More

Dick Bruna Books and Illustrations

Lottino

Dick Bruna, author and illustrator of the Miffy series, is one of my very favorites. Long ago, when my children were young, we played Lottino, a matching game whose illustrations were simple with bright colors. Now my grandchildren play the very same game, and while the box itself has begun to show some ragged edges, the sturdy illustrated cards within are as popular as ever.

Only recently did I make the connection between our beloved Lottino game and the author of the Miffy books, Dick Bruna. This Dutch artist drew the 54 pictures for matching; simple toys, kitchen and food items, clothing, fruits of the garden, household furniture, and wildlife. Bruna’s illustrations are perfectly simple and simply perfect. His pictures are outlined in black and filled in with mostly primary colors, and they give the essence of each item he draws. These items are familiar to young children and are the stuff of daily life.

Miffy Books

The Miffy books were among his most popular, and he wrote over 30 episodes of little rabbit Miffy’s daily life. The name is Nijntje in the original Dutch, short for konijntje, “little rabbit”. Children love them – the illustrations are clear, colorful, and minimal. Miffy’s face is drawn with only two dots for eyes and an “x” for a mouth, and Bruna succeeds at depicting a range of emotions – happiness, sadness, excitement – simply by manipulating these dots and lines.

Miffy stories are about the simple daily life of a young rabbit and her family, along with milestones like birthdays, new siblings, grandparents, school, trips to the zoo or the seaside, or an exciting visit to New York City. I remember seeing Miffy Loves New York City! on a visit to New York in the late 1990s, and being dismayed that my teenaged children were not of an age to appreciate it.

Bruna chose to create small square books, easy for small hands to handle. Each spread has four lines of verse on the left and an illustration on the right page. He was very particular about each drawing and commonly drew 100 different pictures before he was satisfied with the results. In his illustrations, you’ll notice that the face of each character faces directly at the reader, inviting recognition and engagement.

Dick bruna and the Nijntje Museum

Dick Bruna’s books have been translated into 50 different languages since 1955. In Utrecht, where he was born and lived, the Nijntje Museum was opened in 2016 that explores the world of Miffy books. For the 65 years since his books were first published, children have enjoyed the comforting stories and refreshingly minimalistic illustrations of Miffy, and I hope you will too.