Last night I provided shelter to a purring lady who entered my apartment through the attic window and, on being asked, informed me that she had once been a cat...- The Cat Who Came in Off the Roof No list of #DutchKidLit would be complete without Minoes or The Cat Who Came in Off the … Continue reading #DutchKidLit – The Cat who Came in off the Roof by Annie M.G. Schmidt
The beauty of the close, mutually supportive relationship between brothers Vincent and Theo van Gogh at the end of Vincent's turbulent life is the heart and soul of this graphic biography, written by cartoonist Barbara Stok for the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Stok "based scenes and storylines in Vincent on Van Gogh’s letters to his brother … Continue reading #DutchKidLit Young Adult Biography – Vincent by Barbara Stok
Shortlisted for the 2021 Global Literature in Libraries Initiative Translated YA Book Prize I always thought death would look different.A bit like in the movies.Spectacular, sad, or perhaps scary.But your death was lonely,even though there were four people around you:three people watching -- and me,your murderer. - Murderer, Fright Night What if you had the … Continue reading #DutchKidLit – Fright Night by Maren Stoffels
In every city around the world, there are millions of stories—in its cars, its homes, schools, and business, and its public transport. Such is the conceit of I Am the Subway, written by Kim Hyo-eun and translated by Deborah Smith. Originally published in Korea, the protagonist of this lyrical picture book is the Seoul subway, … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: I Am the Subway
In the creative cosmos of beloved Dutch poet Annie M.G. Schmidt, anything is possible — and the more whimsical, the better. Her rollicking poems transform ordinary events and places into extraordinary adventures full of imagination.- Eerdlings: the official blog of Eerdman's Books for Young Readers The Man Who Writes Fairy Tales has run out of ink. Luckily for … Continue reading #DutchKidLit – A Pond Full of Ink: Annie M.G. Schmidt’s most beautiful children’s poems by Annie M.G. Schmidt
"Never do what your mother tells you to do, then everything will be all right,” to quote Annie M.G. Schmidt. Just saying what you want to say, not making a fuss, breaking any rules that don’t make sense, and recalcitrant humour; these are the secrets of her pen [sic]."1911-1995 Annie M.G. Schmidt: Going against the … Continue reading #DutchKidLit and The Canon of the Netherlands, Part 2 – The Subversive Wit of Annie M.G. Schmidt
Image: Canonslinger 2020 wall chart. The Canon of the Netherlands is a huge cultural project that tells a story about the historical and cultural development of the Netherlands from ± 5500 BC to present. The Canon was first conceived in 2006 and was recently updated in June 2020. It is now a 50-window timeline using … Continue reading #DutchKidLit and The Canon of the Netherlands, Part 1 – Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl
It has been a joy and honor to have been the Guest Editor for #WITMonth for the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative blog. I hope you have enjoyed the 26 books I have chosen as much as I have choosing them. I started this my book project two and a half years ago not knowing … Continue reading #WITMonth-that’s a wrap!
In a Nutshell: On September 11th, 1973, as a result of a military coup, Chile fell into a 17 year long dictatorship. Many people died and disappeared, among those people were 34 children under 14. Niños: Poems for the Lost Children of Chile is a collection of 34 poems, with each poem a tribute to … Continue reading Day 26: 🇨🇱 Niños: Poems for the Lost Children of Chile
In a Nutshell: I learnt about this book, thanks to Millie Margretta. The book is beautifully illustrated with a great story. The book is narrated by a young girl, Adjoa about her mother’s desire to be pregnant and her journey towards pregnancy and birth, through the support of her husband and her Akua’ba doll. Themes: … Continue reading Day 25: 🇨🇫 The Magic Doll
