Ladybird Books get the stamp of approval

THEY helped generations of children learn to read.

And now adults will be able to rekindle their love of Ladybird Books thanks to a nostalgic series of stamps issued by Royal Mail.

Ladybird front covers included in the collection range from Piggly Plays Truant and Tootles The Taxi to Things We Make and Tricks And Magic.

One stamp, themed ‘ Adventures from History’, pictured centre, will feature popular titles detailing the lives of British heroes Admiral Nelson, Queen Elizabeth I and Florence Nightingale.

The first books in the classic series were published in the early days of the Second World War, with the 1950s to 1970s considered to be the series’ golden age. The publisher eventually built up an unrivalled library of more than 650 titles.

Royal Mail spokesman Philip Parker said yesterday: ‘Reading Ladybird Books became something of a rite of passage for children from the 1950s onwards, and our new stamps celebrate the iconic series that generations have loved and grown up with.’

The stamps will be on sale from today.