On October 3, 2019, PostNL released another series of Children's Charity Stamps. The theme of the issue was children's books by Dutch writers.

Since 1924, the Dutch Post annually issues a special series of children's stamps in order to raise funds for charity in favor of children. Each stamp of the new series has a surcharge of face value of 0.43 euros, which goes to the charity fund Stichting Kinderpostzegels Nederland.

Postage stamps depict the covers of five classic children's books written by Dutch writers: “New Adventures of Pietje Bell” by Chris van Abkoude (1932), “The Triplets On Horseback” by Trix van Brussel (1987), “From The Life Of Dik Trom” by Johan Kieviet (1891), “Crumb” by Chris van Abkoude (1923) and “The Skippers of the Chameleon” by Hotze de Roos (1949)

All of these books were published by the renowned children's publishing house Kluitman, one of the oldest in the Netherlands, founded in 1864 by Peter Kluitman.

The authors of this series of stamps faced the difficult task of selecting only five editions from hundreds of children's books. The main criteria were of course the popularity and recognizability of children's works, but the decoration of the books played an important role, because their design was taken as the basis for postage stamps. Designer Rina van Maanen noted that she tried to find original books decorated in different styles, but at the same time with a bright design that is timeless.

Books about the adventures of Dick Trom, Pietje Bell, Crumb and Chameleon's team - a recognized classic of children's literature, a series of Trix van Brussel books about triplets is also among the top most popular children's books for girls. The result was a wonderful series - a kind of brief overview of children's literature, with a touch of nostalgia. Modern children are familiar with these books, but their parents also read them, and some even grandparents. So, for example, the children met Dick Trom back in 1891, “Crumb” was written in 1923, “The Adventure of Pietje Bell” in 1932.

The second stamp of the series is dedicated to the book "The Triplets On Horseback" by the Dutch writer Trix van Brussel.

Trix van Brussel, the author of children's books and songs, was born in 1920 in the small town of Meppel. Van Brussels began to write when she was eighteen years old, she wrote children's stories and poems for children, which were published in various national newspapers. After the war, Van Trix went to work on the radio and wrote many texts for children's songs and radio programs. In 1964, Kluitman published her first youth book from the Triplets series, about the adventures of three sisters. Trix van Brussel is a very prolific writer; in her life she has written over 70 books for children and adolescents. In 2018, Trix van Brussel was awarded the Order of the Orange-Nassau, which is personally presented by the King of the Netherlands, for outstanding services.

In 1978, Trix van Brussel wrote the first book in the Triplets series. After the death of their parents, the three sisters Yanneke, Ineka and Marika were adopted by different families, but then, as teenagers, the girls met and became friends. The sisters spent every vacation together, where they always had different adventures. For the period from 1978 to 1996, the writer wrote 21 books as part of this series, loved by many Dutch girls.

It is noteworthy that Trix van Brussel herself had three daughters, she always wrote down the stories and comments of her children and then her grandchildren, they inspired her to write new books.

The cover of the book “The Triplets On Horseback” written in 1987, is reproduced on the stamp. This is the 14th book in the series. In it, Yanneke, Ineka and Marika spend several weeks on vacation during a riding school, where, as usual, exciting adventures await them, including a mysterious abduction of horses and a strong forest fire.

All books in this series were designed by Dutch artist Charlotte Leene. Charlotte was born in 1951, she graduated from the School of Applied Arts in Amsterdam, worked in the field of advertising and graphic design. In addition, Charlotte Leene collaborated with publishers for many years, designing and illustrating children's books. Currently, she is better known as a portrait painter, her works are in private collections throughout Holland.