International Children’s Book Day

Revisit the bookshelves of your younger days as you begin to explore the many colourful and engaging stamp issues related to children’s literature. By Tina Jackson

Hans Christian Andersen, whose literary fairy tales include ‘Thumbelina’, ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ and ‘The Little Mermaid’, is one of the most unforgettable writers for children, with his stories beloved by generations of readers. That’s why, since its inauguration in 1967, International Children’s Book Day is celebrated on or around his birthday on 2 April.

International Children’s Book Day, designed to promote a love of reading in childhood and draw attention to books written for children, is a wonderful excuse to explore the way children’s books have been featured in philately. Children’s literature has included so many memorable characters and featured such iconic illustrations – think Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Winnie-the-pooh for imagery you’d recognise instantly – that it’s no surprise to find them having a perennial appeal to postage stamp designers.

Many of the most-loved and most enduring titles for children feature animals, and this is reflected in postage stamp issues. A lovely set to get you started is the 2006 USPS issue Favourite Children’s Book Animals. This set features a selection of the best-loved creatures from books for young readers, including a monster from Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are, Eric Carle’s Very Hungry Caterpillar, Dr Seuss’s Fox in Socks and Maisy the mouse from Lucy Cousins’ wellloved series. The same year, the Royal Mail issued its own commemorative Animal Tales set, which also included Maisy and The Very Hungry Caterpillar (both 68p). The rest of the stamps depicted a mix of classic and contemporary beast books: Mick Inkpen’s Kipper and The Tale of Jeremy Fisher from Beatrix Potter’s books (both second class); Roald Dahl’s

The Enormous Crocodile and Michael Bond’s Paddington Bear (both first class), and The Comic Adventures of Boots by Satoshi Kitamura and White Rabbit from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (both 42p).

Over the years, the Royal Mail has mined children’s bookshelves for memorable commemorative sets featuring the work of single authors, including Roald Dahl (2012) or single characters (The Gruffalo, 2019). The Year of the Child stamps in 1979 featured images from children’s classics Winnie-the-pooh, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Wind in the Willows and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

The Royal Mail issues have featured books ranged from those for very early readers (The Mr Men and Little Miss books in 2016) to children’s classics such as the Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland set in 2015, and contemporary favourites. Such is the impact of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series on the imaginations of youthful readers that there have been several Potter issues: the boy wizard’s adventures have

been featured on Royal Mail stamps in 2007, 2018 and at the end of last year, and he’s also appeared on the stamps of countries including the USA, France, and the Isle of Man.

More than one Royal Mail set has an ursine theme: Winnie-the-pooh in 2010, Rupert Bear in 2020 and Paddington Bear in 2023. The latter two beloved bears featured together on the cover of the 1994 Greetings set of ten stamps depicting fictional children’s book characters which – bear fans take note – also included a Goldilocks and the Three Bears stamp.

In 2017, the Royal Mail shone the spotlight on a series many collectors will remember from their own childhoods: Ladybird Books. Using a 58-page hardback format, the titles covered a wide range of fiction and non-fiction titles and were staples of most 20th-century children’s libraries. The stamps showcased titles from its categories: Key Words Reading Scheme and Early Tales and Rhymes (1st class); Adventures from History and Well-loved Tales (2nd class); People at Work and Hobbies and How It Works (£1.40); and Achievements and Nature and Conservation (£1.57).

The Channel Islands also have an excellent track record of producing stamps that feature children’s books. Guernsey

Post featured Rupert Bear in a 1993 Rupert and Friends set. A recent highlight was last year’s set from Jersey Post celebrating what would have been the 100th anniversary of the birth of Judith Kerr, the author of the much-loved The Tiger Who Came to Tea.

It’s natural that UK collectors might want to start a children’s books thematic collection with stamps that relate to titles they have known and loved, either as a child or as the parent of a young reader. But once you decide to explore the theme, European children’s literature offers a rich seam to mine.

The Europa stamps offer a treasure trove for collectors in this field because in 2010 the theme was Children’s Books. And whilst the English-language countries celebrated characters from the UK canon of children’s literature, such as the UK’S contribution Winnie-thepooh and Roald Dahl (Gibraltar), delightful offerings from Romania, Hungary, Malta and many more introduce a whole panoply of quirky, characterful creations.

From a philatelic perspective, International Children’s Book Day can offer many imaginative possibilities to explore – just like the books they’re drawn from. We wish you luck, and all the bear necessities, as you venture down this enticing rabbit hole in search of these charming stamps to add to your collection.