This week's theme picks out some of our stories about several of the wonderful British writers and illustrators that have added to the joys of childhood in Britain and beyond.
The children of Britain have been lucky enough to enjoy the adventures of three famous fictional bears - Winnie-the-Pooh, Paddington Bear, and Rupert. Rupert came first and still continues to this day, in his original format as a newspaper cartoon strip.
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English writer, illustrator, farmer and conservationist; she was best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as "The Tale of Peter Rabbit".
Arthur Rackham was an English book illustrator, best known for pen and ink fantasy illustration combined with watercolour - producing wonderful and imaginative images of gnarled trees, hob goblins and rosy-cheeked maidens.
Ernest Howard Shepard OBE, MC (1879 – 1976) was an English artist and book illustrator, best known and loved for his delightful illustrations for the Winnie-the-Pooh stories and poetry books and The Wind in the Willows.
Those who were children in the 60s and 70s may remember 'Look and Learn', a British weekly educational magazine with beautiful colour illustrations and long-running space saga 'The Trigan Empire'.
The popular image of the heroine of 'Alice in Wonderland' is eternally shaped by the first and greatest illustrator of the book, John Tenniel - though it seems this was a commission he did not enjoy very much.
