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zoueriemandzijnopmars · 4 years

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Dutch and Flemish Childrenʼs Media - Part 1: Books

Part 2: TV - Part 3: Studio 100 - Part 4: The Rest

When youʼre studying a language you often want to learn something about a corresponding culture as well, however, I have always had trouble finding resources on things meant for kids. Childrenʼs books are rarely mentioned in literature lists and nobody really wants to talk about the songs they listened to as a child.

This series will be dedicated to childrenʼs media in the Dutch language. Because of my own age most things I say will mainly be relevant for children born in the late nineties or early zeroes. (But thatʼs probably the biggest part of Tumblrʼs demographic anyway.) I have tried to include Dutch and Flemish media, but because Iʼm Dutch, the Dutch will most likely be over represented.

If you think I missed something, feel free to add it yourself or send me a message and I’ll edit this post.I have sorted this list by author.

For each author I shortly describe their genre and most well known book. Then I will mention 2-3 more books by them (probably ones I liked). The authors that I feel are exceptionally well known will get a * behind their name. An (f) behind a book means that the book has been made into a movie or series (or both). (No guarantees on the quality of the movie or series)

Thea Beckmann

Mostly known for her historical childrenʼs fiction. Her main characters are often young girls, but her best known book is Kruistocht in spijkerbroek(f)about a 17 year old boy who ends up going back in time to the childrenʼs crusade. Most of her books can be read from 8 years old.Other notable books are: The Geef me de ruimte trilogy (historical), The Kinderen van Moeder Aarde trilogy (dystopian) and Hasse Simonsdochter (historical).

Marc de Bel*

A very popular Flemish author of which I’ve unfortunately read nothing. I think either the Blinker(f) series about a boy who goes on adventures with his friends, or De Zusjes Kriegel(f) about triplets who cause a lot of mischief is his best known book. Other notable books are: Het ei van oom Trotter (contemporary fantasy) and Blauwe Snoepjes (realistic).

Dick Bruna*

Well known for his picture books in his characteristic drawing style. Most well known for the Nijntje(f) (Miffy) books about a young rabbit who does fairly daily stuff like going to the zoo or the sea. His books are mainly meant for toddlers.

Marianne Busser en Ron Schröder

They are a married couple writing picture books in rhyme. They are probably most well known for their Liselotje books about a young princess. Their books are meant for children slightly older than for the Nijntje books.Other notable books are: Pietertje Pet (picture books), the Muis en Egel series (picture books) and Koen en Lot (beginning readers).

Tonke Dragt*

Well known for her fantastical (weird) books. Most well known for De brief voor de Koning(f) a fantasy/adventure book a bit in the style of King Arthur myths. It tells the story of 16 year old Tiuri who just before he gets knighted gets a mysterious assignment of bringing a letter to the king of the neighbouring country. The book was voted best childrenʼs book of the past 50 years in 2005.Other notable books are: Ogen van Tijgers (science-fiction), De Zevensprong (f)(mystery) and Verhalen van tweelingbroers (adventure).

Paul van Loon

Writer of childrenʼs horror stories. Best known for the Dolfje Weerwolfje(f) series about an 8 year old boy who discovers heʼs a werewolf and adventures follow. Most of his books can be self read from as soon as children can read, though some might be a bit difficult at first.Other notable books are: De Griezelbus(f)(horror) and Foeksia de miniheks(f) (fantasy).

Mirjam Oldenhave

Basically only known for her Mees Kees(f)books about a school intern who due to a shortage in teachers (very real actually here) has to teach 10 year olds all on his own. His methods are unorthodox, but he does clearly care a lot for the kids. The narrator is the student Tobias whose father died and whose mum now struggles with depression.

Francine Oomen

Mostly known for the Hoe Overleef Ik series(f) following the teenager Rosa through puberty. The books discuss a lot, from moving to another town and divorcing parents to sexuality, drugs and teenage pregnancy.Other notable books are: Lena Lijstje (realistic) and De Computerheks(contemporary fantasy (actually I donʼt know how well known this is, but I really liked them)).

Annie M.G. Schmidt*

A writer of books for younger children (though she also wrote television and radio shows and songs for adults). The adults are usually pretty useless. I honestly canʼt decide her most well known book, because on the one hand we have Jip en Janneke about two neighbour kids who play together. And on the other hand we have Pluk van de Petteflet(f) about a young boy who (on his own) comes to live in an apartment complex and basically has to deal with multiple adults who want to destroy nature.Other notable books are: Floddertje (realistic), Minoes(f) (contemporary fantasy) and Otje(f) (realistic).

Carry Slee

On the one hand known for her books about teenagers dealing with heavy things like drugs and eating disorders, but has also written books for younger children. I would say that either Spijt!(f) about a boy who commits suicide after being extremely bullied or Afblijven(f) about a girl who starts to use drugs to become less self conscious is her most well known book.Other notable books are: De kinderen van de Grote Beer(realistic), Iris en Michiel(realistic) and Timboektoe(f)(realistic).

Jan Terlouw

An ex-politician who writes books that often contain a critique on society. Most well known for Oorlogswinter(f) about a 15 year old boy in the last winter of the Second World War. He gets involved in the resistance. Other notable books are: Koning van Katoren(f) (fantasy-like), Pjotr(historical) and Briefgeheim(f) (thriller).

Mark Tijsmans

Another Flemish author I haven’t read. Probably best known for his Wiet Waterlanders series about a boy who goes on adventures with his friends. Other notable books are: Het Geheim van te veel Torens (detective) and De Ridders van de Ronde Keukentafel (arthurian retelling).

Jacques Vriens

An ex primary school teacher who writes mostly books set in a school setting (but also a few historical novels) I am just going to say that his most well known book is Achtste groepers huilen niet(f) about a 12 year old girl that gets diagnosed with leukaemia. Other notable books are: Meester Jaap (funny/realistic), Oorlogsgeheimen(f)(WOII) and Tien Torens Diep(f) (historical).

I would also like to point out the existence of the Kinderboekenweek in the Netherlands. Every year in autumn, 10 days long thereʼs a focus on Dutch childrenʼs books (especially with a certain theme). Prices for the best Dutch childrenʼs book are awarded (de Gouden Griffel/Penseel by a professional jury and de Prijs van de Nederlands Kinderjury/Jonge Jury by popular vote). But, most importantly, if you buy for childrenʼs books for a total of more than €12.50 you get a free extra book. Het Kinderboekenweekgeschenk is every year written by a Dutch writer of Childrenʼs books and ties into the theme of the year.

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mimosaeyes · 6 years

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Stuff I’ve been reading in 2017

The third annual reading list! (Here’s 2015 in two parts, and 2016.) School was killing my love of reading but I refused to let it. And so here we are, three years and 280 books later.

I’ve taken the liberty of bolding my favourite reads this year, and including some background about how I came to read what I did. Here we go:

I pseudo-resolved to read slower this year, and savour books that need time to seep in. Longer books tend to fit that profile for me, so I went and read the longest book in my home library.

1. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, translated from the Russian by Rosemary Edmonds (reflections here)

Don’t know how I zeroed in on this gem in a Kinokuniya bookstore, but I love it and you should definitely read it. Go. Go now. I was two years slow on the uptake for Pulley’s debut, but when her second novel came out this year, I literally ordered it online in 0.0002 seconds. It’s number 51 on this list.

2. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

I can’t summarise how I feel about this next one. It just gets to me. After reading it, I went on to watch the film as well as its 20-years-later sequel. I might read some more by Welsh, but gosh the Scottish accent is hard to decipher.

3. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh

Perfect for bringing along on my first semester studying overseas.

4. Hector and the Search for Happiness by François Lelord

And then the school texts start! As does leisure/procrastination reading: all the Neruda and Sexton poetry, plus Dostoevsky. Only novels, novellas, plays, and anthologies are listed here; this semester I studied many isolated short stories and poems. Books I read twice are the ones I happened to write essays on – it doesn’t necessarily mean I liked them a lot. (In fact, if I really like a book, sometimes I deliberately avoid writing about it, because analysing something too much can ruin it.) I read all the poetry aloud, because poetry, but I worry also in part because the silence in my room was getting oppressively lonely.

5. Joe Cinque’s Consolation by Helen Garner 6. Bereft by Chris Womersley (twice, actually) 7. Melanctha by Gertrude Stein 8. Breath by Tim Winton (twice, actually) 9. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner 10. Pablo Neruda: Selected Poems edited by Nathaniel Tarn, translated from the Spanish by Anthony Kerrigan, W. S. Merwin, Alastair Reid, and Nathaniel Tarn 11. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson 12. Carpentaria by Alexis Wright (out loud just because) 13. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, translated from the Russian by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky 14. To Bedlam and Part Way Back by Anne Sexton 15. All My Pretty Ones by Anne Sexton 16. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates (twice, actually; pseudo-thrice) 17. Live Or Die by Anne Sexton 18. Love Poems by Anne Sexton 19. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde 20. Transformations by Anne Sexton 21. The Book of Folly by Anne Sexton 22. Sorry by Gail Jones 23. The Death Notebooks by Anne Sexton 24. The Secret History by Donna Tartt (her second novel is number 79) 25. The Awful Rowing Toward God by Anne Sexton 26. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent 27. 45 Mercy Street by Anne Sexton 28. Words for Dr. Y. by Anne Sexton

In the break between semesters, I marathoned several TV shows (oops) and revisited a book series from my childhood. (Which, incidentally, ends in a greatly upsetting way?) That series is bookended by two novels which are companions to each other.

29. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce 30. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer 31. Artemis Fowl and the Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer 32. Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer 33. Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer 34. Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer 35. Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer 36. Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer 37. Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian by Eoin Colfer 38. The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce

Back to school! Again, quite a few short stories and poems not reflected here. 42, 48, 49, 51, and 57 for leisure; the rest were for my courses.

39. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (twice, actually; making it thrice in two years, dammit) 40. The Hunter by Julia Leigh (twice, actually) 41. Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney 42. Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller 43. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 44. My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin 45. Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis (twice, actually) 46. Slaves of New York by Tama Janowitz 47. Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon 48. My Career Goes Bung by Miles Franklin 49. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz 50. Bad Behaviour by Mary Gaitskill 51. The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley 52. The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon 53. The Man Who Loved Children by Christina Stead 54. Simulations by Jean Baudrillard, translated from the French by Paul Foss, Paul Patton and Philip Beitchman 55. Frisk by Dennis Cooper 56. Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu (twice, actually) 57.《边城》沈从文著 58. Motion Sickness by Lynne Tillman 59. Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk (twice, actually) 60. Affinity by Sarah Waters 61. The Lost Stradivarius by John Meade Falkner 62. The Twyborn Affair by Patrick White (twice, actually)

The school year concluded, while still in Australia I read books I’d been given or chose on whims. I bought number 65 in Cairns Airport because I had nothing to read for the rest of a five-day trip; I’d started and finished number 63 during my domestic flight on day one. Clearly I’d underestimated how much I still wanted to read, having overloaded during the semester.

63. Mãn by Kim Thúy, translated from the French by Sheila Fischman 64. The Arrival by Shaun Tan (no words, only illustrations; please, please experience it for yourself) 65. And the Ass Saw the Angel by Nick Cave (it’s a Bible reference; think Southern Gothic)

Back home once more, I had access to my personal library, as well our national libraries! Although I’d embarked on a big crochet project as a Christmas present for some close family friends, I went pretty hard in the rest of my free time, which was abundant, because unemployment.

Some of these books just caught my eye on the shelf. Some have been on my To Read list for ages, because of friends’ recommendations (76 and 77, for instance) or because I figured I needed to see what the hype was all about (81 through 83, and 85 through 87). On the subject of YA fiction: no offence if you’re a fan of the genre, or indeed of these two series in particular, but to me it tends to feel like the literary equivalent of empty calories — easy reading that makes for a change of pace from books like 79, or 76. I read each trilogy in a day. Also, yes I realise I’m very late to the party; I haven’t watched the movies, either. Heh.

66. The Great and Calamitous Tale of Johan Thoms by Ian Thornton 67. The Borrowers by Mary Norton (on which Studio Ghibli’s The Borrower Arrietty is based) 68. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (before I went to watch the movie) 69. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka 70. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (on which Studio Ghibli’s film of the same name is based) 71. Calligraphy Lesson: The Collected Stories by Mikhail Shishkin, translated from the Russian by Marian Schwartz, Leo Shtutin, Sylvia Maizell, and Mariya Bashkatova 72. The Sage of Waterloo by Leona Francombe 73. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman 74. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom 75. The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez 76. White Teeth by Zadie Smith 77. Uprooted by Naomi Novik 78. How To Be Both by Ali Smith 79. The Little Friend by Donna Tartt (her first novel is number 24; I’ll read her third in the new year, as it demands slow enjoyment) 80. The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff 81. The Maze Runner by James Dashner 82. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner 83. The Death Cure by James Dasher 84. Jip by Katherine Paterson 85. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 86. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins 87. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins 88. Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

And that’s it: another year in books! Do note that thanks to my new theme, I now put updates in the sidebar about what I’m currently reading and watching, respectively. So if you’re ever curious, mosey on over, I guess.

In the new year, I’ll be creating a Goodreads account specially to complement my (admittedly infrequent) postings here. I haven’t gotten an account there previously because the star rating system seemed so reductive, but I have since realised that if professional movie critics can do it, I ought to stop being so high and mighty. Besides, I’m curious about the Goodreads community, and might want to try my hand at writing a couple of reviews, if I find the time and energy.

See you in 2018, everyone!

(Update: here is my Goodreads profile!)

#mimo reads #2017 book list

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