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I guess most of us have heard or read 'The princess and the pea', a fairytale by Danish writer H. C. Andersen.

Here are some pictures to remind you.

I had lots of these books when I was little, I loved the characters, especially Mr. Tickle.

The books celebrate 40 years this year and are just as popular today as back when.

Charles Roger Hargreaves was born today, 76 years ago (9 May 1935 ' 11 September 1988). He was an English author and illustrator of children's books, notably the Mr. Men and Little Miss series, intended for very young readers. The books' simple and silly stories, with bright-coloured, boldly drawn illustrations, have been part of popular culture for over 25 years, with sales over 85 million worldwide in 20 languages.

Hargreaves grew up in Cleckheaton. He spent a year working in his father's laundry and dry-cleaning business before starting out in advertising. But his original ambition was to be a cartoonist; and, in 1971, while he was working as the creative director at a London firm, he wrote the first Mr. Men book, Mr. Tickle . He initially had difficulty finding a publisher; but, once he did, the books became an instant success, selling over one million copies within three years. In 1975 it spawned a BBC animated television series called Mr. Men Show, Mr Tickle being voiced by Arthur Lowe.

By 1976, Hargreaves had quit his day job. In 1981, the Little Miss series of books began to appear. It, too, was made into a television series in 1983, which was narrated by John Alderton, who, with Pauline Collins, voiced the Men and Misses, respectively. Although Hargreaves wrote many other children's stories, including the Timbuctoo series of twenty-five books, John Mouse, and the Roundy and Squary books, he is best known for his 46 Mr. Men books and 33 Little Miss books.

With his wife, Christine, Hargreaves had four children: Adam, Giles, and twins Sophie and Amelia. The first of the Mr. Men characters is reported to have been created when Adam asked his father what a tickle looked like: Hargreaves drew a figure with a round orange body and long, rubbery arms, which became Mr. Tickle.

After Hargreaves died of a sudden stroke in 1988, Adam continued writing and drawing the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters in new stories. However, in April 2004, Christine sold the rights to the Mr. Men characters to the UK entertainment group Chorion, for '28 million.

Here are an overview of the books.

'Regarded as one of the most original and adventurous collectors and dealers of our time, Axel Vervoordt rightly considers himself an eclectic collector and dealer, who treasures the timeless and disdains the trendy. Vervoordt's taste spans centuries, continents and economic strata, and his profound knowledge of this history of fine and applied arts has led him to create spaces in which his juxtaposition of objects from vastly different eras and cultures makes a strong and impressive statement on present and future interior taste. These juxtapositions should inspire contemplation and thus mental liberty.

Vervoordt cites three main strands of influence in his work. The first is that of contemporary and oriental art and arte povera, which to him signifies the importance of a life of meditation, empty space, a love and respect of nature and of human existence. The second is architecture, which represents proportion, balance and harmony, such as one might find in an 18th century library. The third strand is the baroque, either gilded and courtly, or more.'