Some picture books simply elude categorization under a single theme; examples include the ABC’s, in which all kinds of subjects appear in pictures and text, and advertising booklets whose contents are extremely diverse. The category ‘A Bit of Everything’ is the last on the list.

A is an Ape
The first two lines of the best-known Dutch ABC text are: “A is een aapje dat eet uit zijn poot” and “B is de bakker die bakt voor ons brood” (“A is an ape that eats out of its paw” and “B is the baker who bakes bread for us”). The oldest known version of this text dates back to 1836. Yet this genre, in which the letters of the alphabet mark the order of the texts, exists in many variations of subject matter, style and illustration and printing techniques. View picture books in the category: A is an Ape >>

Piggelmee, Flipje and the others
In the first half of the twentieth century countless families lived in poverty. Small wonder, then, that the brightly coloured free advertising booklets, in which children could stick the small pictures they collected from packs of coffee or rusks, were so popular. Famous figures from advertising, like Piggelmee and Flipje, are part of the Dutch national heritage and their memory is still cherished by many. Countless firms used such books to advertise their products: from jam makers to the bakers of Dutch rusks, from insurance companies to bicycle manufacturers. View picture books in the category: Piggelmee, Flipje and the others >>

A bit of everything
What do you find here? The Netherlands seen through the eyes of the designer Jo Spier, picture albums, books with highly varied contents; in short: instructive and enjoyable pictures. View picture books in the category: A bit of everything >>

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