The
Netherlands
(Dutch)
224
Biemans, Ienne (text)
Heymans, Margriet (illus.)
Met mijn rechteroog dicht, mijn linkeroog open (With my right eye closed, my
left eye open)
Amsterdam : Leopold, 2001. - 37 p.
ISBN 90-258-3029-3
Children's poetry
The source of inspiration of the lullabies in this book is amazement. The
rhymes often have a nonsensical slant or use jumpy associations that are
sometimes caused by the rhyme, but more often by an unpredictable meaning of
certain words. The atmosphere in most of the rhymes is magical and therefore
reminiscent of fairytales. Ienne Biemans frequently conjures up dark feelings
that are also common in fairytales, like loneliness and fear, and at the same
time she evokes very familiar feelings. The playful and magical illustrations
are a fascinating supplement to the rhymes. (4+)
225
De Preter, Gerda (text)
Weve, Sylvia (illus.)
Een koffertje voor opa (A
suitcase for grandpa)
Amsterdam [et al.] : Querido, 2001. - 112 p.
ISBN 90-214-7848-x
Grandparents - Grandson - Addition to the family - Siblings – Death
Since the birth of his sister, Arne gets little attention from his parents.
He comes up with a lot of reasons why they should swap his sister for the little
poodle of his classmate for example, but he can't convince his parents. He
becomes friends with Fleur, who likes to get as little attention as possible
from her ever-arguing parents. With his grandparents, Arne has a tender
relationship, especially when it turns out that his grandfather is incurably ill
and will die soon. The funny, poetic, and sometimes sad scenes describe the
boy's life, whose imagination is very vivid and highly associative. (6+)
Special
Mention
226
Dijkstra,
Lida (i.e. Lida Dykstra) (reteller)
Wachten op Apollo
(Waiting for Apollo)
Rotterdam : Lemniscaat, 2001. - 120 p.
ISBN 90-5637-385-4
(First publ. in Frisian: Wolken fan wol. Ljouwert : Bornmeer, 2000)
Ovid/Metamorphoses - Mythology/Greek
In this book, the author retells six »Metamorphoses« by Ovid
using a double frame. Waiting for the oracle of Delphi, the crow Cornix tells a
shepherd's boy about her own metamorphosis and that of Arachne. Human
characteristics, such as greed, jealousy, and recklessness, are central themes.
With the metamorphosis of the shepherd's boy into the god Apollo - Cornix sees
him flying by after his visit to the oracle - the book has an open ending. The
author displays great eloquence with the animated dialogues, the modern diction,
the pithy narrative style, and the extremely fast pace of the events. The
distinct, humorous rendering of character is modern and recognisable for young
readers. Like Arachne spun her luminous yarn out of clouds of wool, Lida Dykstra
knows how to weave different stories into a new unity, accessible to
young and old. (10+)
227
Huiberts, Gerrie (text)
Straaten, Harmen van (illus.)
Piraat op straat (Pirate
on the street)
Baarn : Fontein, 2001. - 41 p.
ISBN 90-261-1667-5
Pirate – Adventure
Pim quarrels with his know-it-all brother Bastiaan and searches for a
pirate who might be able to teach him a lesson. He finds a mermaid who is
waiting for her pirate. When the pirate turns up, he appears to be a real
boozer, but Pim fails to notice that at all. The pirate writes a letter for Pim
inviting him to join the pirate on his adventurous journey. When Bastiaan reads
this letter he is very impressed and subdued and their argument is over soon. In
this story, the child's fantasy world is presented very well. Bastiaan's realism
is finally defeated by his brother's imagination. The exaggerated pictures
perfectly illustrate the contrast between children and adults. (7+)
228
Jagtenberg, Yvonne (text/illus.)
Een bijzondere dag (A
special day)
Amsterdam : Hillen [et al.], 2001. - [20] p.
ISBN 90-76897-01-8
School - First school day - Pre-schooler
Arno has to go to school for the first time and is quite afraid of it. At
school he hardly dares to do anything. But then his teacher has an idea: Arno is
allowed to play the wolf and a girl can play Little Red Riding Hood. With a
wolf's head Arno isn't afraid anymore and the first school day turns into a very
special experience. This is a very well-organised and elaborated story about a
very familiar topic. The illustrations are like collages, in which the figures
are coloured with grease pencil, felt-tip pen and coloured pencil. The full-page
illustrations add an extra dimension to the story. (4+)
229
Kromhout, Rindert (text)
Haeringen, Annemarie van (illus.)
Beesten in het nieuws (Animals in the news)
Tilburg : Zwijsen [et al.], 2001. - 54 p.
(Bizon boek)
ISBN 90-276-8903-2
Animals
Ben's mother has run away, and his father is always busy with his pet shop,
although there are only few customers. As Ben often feels lonely, he writes
stories and publishes them in his own journal that he distributes in his
neighbourhood. When he starts a series with short stories about animals (snakes
who eat mice, a spider who tickles a child) in his journal, a lot of customers
suddenly show up in his father's shop. Rindert Kromhout tells a well-structured
story, with a well-crafted plot and lots of humour. The illustrations fit
seamlessly to the story and are very funny, especially when picturing the
animals. (6+) ¤
230
Vlugt, Simone van der (text)
Wolf, Alex de
(illus.)
Bastiaan komt eraan (Bastiaan is coming)
Houten: Van Holkema & Warendorf, 2001. - 88 p.
ISBN 90-269-9391-9
School - Pre-schooler
Bastiaan is not allowed to go to school yet. In the course of the book,
however, he celebrates his fourth birthday and finally makes the big changeover
from home to school. Among the little everyday things of life, which are being
told, Bastiaan's wish to be a big boy pops up again and again, while at the same
time it is evident that he still needs the security and closeness to his mother.
The dialogues speed up the story and Bastiaan's utterances are often very
humorous. The illustrations appropriately depict the story and show a lot of
details. The colours are well-chosen and perfectly reflect the atmosphere of the
story. (6+)