The Best of the Best Lemniscaat
Spring 2017
Mies van Hout
Peekaboo Square, Round & Triangular
Rights sold: Aracari Verlag (Germany, Switzerland) Minedition (France) lemniscaat ltd (English worldwide)
Children’s favourite game, peekaboo, in book form!
All small children love playing peekaboo. They can’t get enough of it. That same peekaboo game is the starting point for these three colourful fold-out board books. When you first turn a page you just see ‘bare’ shapes. But every time, under the flap at the side, lurks – peekaboo! – a wonderful world populated by all kinds of creatures. Dogs, beetles, a grasshopper, an octopus: they’re all imaginative extrapolations from the basic shapes on the flap. Each of the three books focuses on one category of shapes: triangular and zig-zag shapes, round and flowing shapes and square and angular shapes. The animals fit with the characteristics of the shapes. Square rhinoceroses storm enthusiastically towards their goal, triangular lobsters dance a spirited tango and a round elephant jumps dreamily in the air. The longer you look at the pictures, the more you discover in them. Infants learn to recognize shapes through play. They’ll daydream about the extraordinary creatures, and just like in the real game, every time you shut the book they’ll shout: ‘Again! Again!’
On Playground: ‘[Mies van Hout] is at the pinnacle of her powers. […] Fresh and surprising.’ **** – nrc Handelsblad ‘Mies van Hout [has surpassed] herself. The book fizzes with artistic enjoyment, and demonstrates her versatility. […] It makes you want to stick almost all the pictures on the wall.’ – Trouw Mies van Hout has given shape to several heroes of Lemniscaat picture books and children’s books, including Krik, Lovey and Dovey and Brave Ben. Her illustrated song books are popular as well, and her series Happy, Friends and Surprise has been embraced all over the globe. WWW.MIESVANHOUT.NL 3
Original titles: Kiekeboe – vierkant | Kiekeboe – rond | Kiekeboe – driehoek trim size: 26.5 x 15.5 cm | [board books], 12 pages | age: 2+
Wordless picturebook
Annemarie van der Eem & Mark Janssen
I Want a Lion! A child asks for a lion as a pet – and gets exactly what he wants!
With Nothing Happened Mark Janssen took the picture-book world by storm. Now Annemarie van der Eem has written a story that’s absolutely made for him. One day Sjuul woke up. It was quiet in the house. And actually rather boring. Suddenly he knew: he wanted an animal. A pet. Today! And he knew what kind of animal too… The animals emerging from Sjuul’s imagination leap from the pages. Grinning and gaping, parent and child will read this book together. And it’s obvious what will be the first thing said after the last page is turned: ‘Mum, dad... I want a lion!’
‘Illustrator Mark Janssen excels. His expressive pictures are just as exuberant as the ones in his previous picture book Nothing Happened. Janssen has truly found his own style as a picture book maker.’ – nrc Handelsblad
Rights sold: Fisher verlag (Germany) lemniscaat ltd (English worldwide)
‘The fun splashes off the pages. The story is in line with what young children want: to go on adventure in a familiar setting.’ – Nederlands Dagblad
Annemarie van der Eem is a writer – but with the Dutch Junior Team she also won the world hockey championships in Seoul. During her hockey career she studied history in Amsterdam and went on to complete all kinds of specialist writing courses. For her own copywriting company she is a journalist, editor-in-chief and copywriter. I Want a Lion! is her debut with Lemniscaat. Mark Janssen studied at the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts and Design. He illustrates books for children and for adults, and has worked on more than 350 books so far. Last year his enthusiastically received Nothing Happened was published by Lemniscaat. WWW.MARK-JANSSEN.NL 5
Original title: Ik wil een leeuw! | trim size: 25.3 x 34.3 cm | [hardback], 32 pages | age: 4+
Full translation available
Daphne Louter
Look, Rabbits
A delightful non-verbal picture book to take you through the day and the year
The everyday life of Daphne Louter’s twins, Pien and Teun, inspired her to create this beautiful, intricate picture book that wordlessly tells the story of a boy rabbit and a girl rabbit, and their pet, the chicken. We follow the roguish duo throughout the day – and, as the day goes on, throughout the year as well. The subtle colours, fine lines and countless details in the pictures give the book a timeless quality and are reminiscent of work by great British illustrators such as Beatrix Potter and John Tenniel. No one will be surprised to hear that Daphne won the 2014 Lemniscaat Illustration Contest with the first pictures for this book. The rabbit twins’ house and garden are places young children will want to visit over and over again. There’s so much to discover in every picture that each new visit is a delight. And can they find the objects that appear in every one? A book without words that tells a thousand stories.
Rights sold: lemniscaat ltd (English worldwide)
Daphne Louter attended the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, where she graduated in printmaking techniques. She then went to Edinburgh to study illustration at the college of art. She lived in Scotland for several years and taught at the art college, among other places. In 2009 she returned to the Netherlands, where she now paints and illustrates. Look, Rabbits is her picture book debut. WWW.DAPHNELOUTER.COM 7
Original title: Kijk, konijnen | trim size: 27 x 27 cm | [hardback], 32 pages | age: 4+
Wordless picturebook
Elle van Lieshout, Erik van Os & Alice Hoogstad
Critter Ditties New animals songs for every young child
The fourteen cheery animal songs that Elle van Lieshout and Erik van Os have written can go straight in with the children’s classics. Their simple language, stylistic surprises, and their wonderful lightness of tone, will have every child and every adult singing them at the top of their voices in no time at all. The music is by Lot van Os (indeed, their son), who has written mesmerizing music for several Dutch Picture Books of the Year, including The Storm Whale, Solomon Crocodile and A Bit Lost. Golden Paintbrush winner Alice Hoogstad depicts all the animals in the songs in her attractive and colourful style: a millipede wearing a thousand skates and a pair of swimming trunks, a cow that sells grass, and a penguin who’s fed up with his black-and-white clothes.
About How Much Does the Grey in an Elephant Weigh?: ‘The colourful illustrations […] will give rise to hours of pleasure. A picture book that any young child will pick up time and again.’ – nbd Biblion About My Grandma is a Stork by Alice Hoogstad: ‘The refined use of colour and the sophisticated compositions stand out.’ – Trouw
Elle van Lieshout and Erik van Os have been writing together since 1990, not just books but songs as wel – some of them for Sesame Street and Dutch theme park the Efteling, and verses and texts for magazines and reading schemes. Among their titles with Lemniscaat are Lovey and Dovey, Kees van Dijk, the Miss C. Mouse books and More than a Year of Julia and Ot. They have also translated several picture books. WWW.ERIKVANOSENELLEVANLIESHOUT.NL
About Elle van Lieshout and Erik van Os: ‘Cheerful, feel-good rhymes that look at everyday things with childlike astonishment or with a wink of the eye.’ – Trouw
Alice Hoogstad has been illustrating children’s books for years. Best of all she likes to work on her own picture books. Monster Book won her the Golden Paintbrush in 2015 and last year My Grandma is a Stork was a big hit during the Dutch Children’s Book Week. 9
Original title: Diere-liere-liedjes | trim size: 24.4 x 30 cm | [hardback], 32 pages | age: 3+
Jesse Goossens & Linde Faas
About Cola Fountains and Spattering Paint Bombs: ‘Tremendous fun for inquisitive kids. […] The pictures are exceptionally witty, playful and colourful, and bursting with energy. A bookmark ribbon makes this collection of experiments complete. With this bonkers book you’ll always have something to do, as long as you don’t mind turning your house into a laboratory and aren’t afraid of causing explosions. Wonderfully bold for high-spirited kids and adults!’ – pluizer.be
Spurting Arteries and Overflowing Oceans
‘A celebratory book with forty-eight spectacular, exciting and sensational experiments for budding inventors and all other sorcerer’s apprentices.’ – Kiddo
A joyful hands-on book for dealing with disasters large and small, from the people who brought you Cola Fountains and Spattering Paint Bombs
Rights sold: CAN ÇOCUK PUBLISHING (Turkey) lemniscaat ltd (English worldwide)
In May 2017 the Red Cross in the Netherlands celebrates its 150th anniversary. Everyone knows about the life-saving work the organization carries out worldwide. But what can you do yourself, at home or in your own neighbourhood? Jesse Goossens has written a manual dealing with thirty-four disasters large and small, for everyone aged nine and up, and she’s collected funny, gruesome and wonderful facts about every possible catastrophe. Because do you know how many bones you can break? How to resuscitate someone? What was the biggest earthquake ever? How to tell a forest fire is coming, or how much blood your body’s got in it? Linde Faas has taken these facts and brought them together to create a sparkling, joyful whole, a book that’s a pleasure to leaf through as well as an essential reference work for all children, young and old, who want to help make the world a better place. Part of the proceeds from this book will be donated to the Red Cross.
Rights sold: lemniscaat ltd (English worldwide) Jesse Goossens is an editor, translator and author. Among the books she has published with Lemniscaat are Women Who Change the World, Right to Play, Plastic Soup and It’s a Wonderful Life. With Marije Tolman she created the book Jumping Penguins and Laughing Hyenas and with Linde Faas Cola Fountains and Spattering Paint Bombs. Linde Faas graduated with honours from the Art Academy of Breda. She has worked as an animator for cartoon films, as an artist, and internationally as an illustrator. For Lemniscaat she has illustrated books including titles by Pieter Koolwijk about Flea and Spikey, as well as the picture books Santa Claus Misses a Year with Susanne Wiersma and The Feast for the King with Marlies Verhelst. WWW.LINDEFAAS.NL 11
Original title: Spuitende slagaders en overstromende oceanen trim size: 21 x 25 cm | [hardback], 96 pages | age: 9+ (all ages)
Full translation available
About Piet Grobler: ‘The work of South African illustrator Piet Grobler is much admired in the Netherlands. And rightly so, seeing his work.’ – Friesch Dagblad
Anke de Vries & Piet Grobler
Antonia
The most colourful of birds fly through this enchanting picture book
Antonia loves to sing – she is the Bianca Castafiore of the forest, who thinks of herself as a golden-voiced creature. When she starts to sing in the morning, all the animals groan – but it does rouse them from their slumbers. All the same, they would prefer to silence Antonia’s ‘divine’ voice.
Rights sold: lemniscaat ltd (English worldwide)
One day Antonia decides she’s had enough and leaves. Only then do the animals notice what they are missing. They don’t wake up in the morning and somehow they even start missing that out-of-tune warbling. Antonia returns in disguise and hears the animals praising her. So she decides to return to them for good. The next morning, her unique, inimitable voice wakes them all up again. Piet Grobler, internationally known for his exquisite colourful birds, drew the illustrations in this delightful picture book by the grand old lady of Dutch children’s literature: Anke de Vries.
‘Antonia, both book and bird, turn out to be very loveable.’ – Friesch Dagblad ‘Anke de Vries is a craftswoman who understands the fine art of storytelling.’ – 7Days Anke de Vries has written numerous children’s books, including classics such as Bruises, The Secret of Mories Besjoer and Belledonne, Room 16. Many of her stories are set in her beloved France where she resides with her artist husband. Piet Grobler studied theology, journalism and graphic design. He has worked as a freelance artist and illustrator since 1996. He teaches art at the Art Academy of Worcester, Great Britain. Grobler has received many awards for his picture books and illustrations. www.pietgrobler.nl 13
Original title: Antonia | trim size: 21.5 x 25.5 cm | [hardback], 32 pages | age: 4+
Full translation available
‘A beautifully illustrated book about choices, friendship, individuality and fantasy. […] The text is never predictable, and this quirky tale has a very special climax. Lovely to read together and talk about friendship, fantasy and reality.’ – nbd Biblion
‘A gorgeous picture book. A happy blend of intelligent, strong texts and powerful, sometimes almost mythical illustrations that leave much room for smiles. And just when you think the story will end sadly, there’s a plot twist. Very strong.’ – children’s poet Diet Groothuis
‘Sometimes it only takes one illustration in a picture book to make buying it worthwhile. In Chap Wants Company that illustration is the one on the middle pages. [...] The picture is beautiful and original. The text lends itself perfectly to reading it together and the climax is surprising.’ – jaapleest.nl
‘A see, look, hide and surprise book with a funny ending.’ – Kits
Ted van Lieshout & Ingrid and Dieter Schubert
Chap Wants Company
A little boy goes looking for a friend… and finds a giant
In captivating rhyme, Ted van Lieshout writes the story of Chap, a little boy who longs for a friend. But when he finds a friend at last, his mother doesn’t want him in the house. You must admit, it is a bit clumsy, a giant like that… ‘Mama, do you have a minute? This is my best friend. Don’t you think that he can stay? It will be cosy with the five of us!’ Mom says: ‘Don’t be silly. We have no place in our house. We have no room in our house for something this big and evil! Get it out! Right now!’ ‘But then where should my best friend go?’ Chap tries to hide his big friend, but he has to give in. And it comes to worse: as soon as they’re outside another giant arrives, looking for his friend. Will Chap lose his newly-found friend? Ingrid and Dieter Schubert have drawn a landscape filled with pictorial and artistic jokes. The young reader will follow Chap across coloured pages full of surprise discoveries.
Ingrid and Dieter Schubert were born in Germany. They studied at the Design Academy in Munster and the Art Academy in Düsseldorf. They then moved to Amsterdam to study at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy. Their numerous picture books have been published in over twenty languages and their art has been exhibited all over the world. www.ingriddieterschubert.com Ted van Lieshout is both writer, poet and artist. His first poems were published while he was still a student at the Art Academy. After his studies, he designed book covers and he illustrated for newspapers and magazines. He has written over fifty books and won numerous awards, including a Silver Slate Pencil and the prestigious Woutertje Pieterse Award. www.tedvanlieshout.info 15
Original title: Ventje zoekt een vriendje | trim size: 23.4 x 29 cm | [hardback], 32 pages | age: 4+
Full translation available
Sanne te Loo
This Is Yours About the illustrations that Sanne te Loo made for Sjoerd Kuyper’s The Dive, which was awarded the Jenny Smelik ibby Prize: ‘The characteristic, colourful illustrations by Sanne te Loo […] are astonishingly spot-on, while still leaving lots of room for the imagination.’ – Jury report
The greatest gift for a child is to have a room of their own…
Of all things imaginable, I liked drawing the most. However, a sheet of paper was way too small for me. And in the streets, people would walk over my drawings. One day – when it is raining so hard that the drawings are washed from the sidewalk – a man walks by. He is Anselmo, an old painter. He offers the young artist shelter in his house. Anselmo comes from a parrot island and makes enchanting paintings. Between Anselmo and the young artist a wonderful friendship blossoms… until the day Anselmo decides to return to his island. For a moment, a dream seems to fall apart. But Anselmo has taken care of the young artist’s future! Sanne te Loo made a moving tribute to people who value children.
Rights sold: Turbine (Denmark)
‘[Sanne te Loo’s] best work until now. […] The illustrations are genuinely stunning.’ – Trouw ‘An ode to children’s imagination and the importance of recognising it properly. Heartwarming.’ – De Morgen
Sanne te Loo studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Breda. Since her graduation, she has been working as an illustrator. She is known for her dreamy illustrations as featured in her own picture book The Mermaid’s Shoes and in the illustrated book by Sjoerd Kuyper, The Dive. www.sanneteloo.nl 17
Original title: Dit is voor jou | trim size: 25 x 30 cm | [hardback], 32 pages | age: 4+
Full translation available
Marco Kunst Philosophy I studied philosophy at university, because it allowed me to investigate anything and everything. It was great; all those ideas were intoxicatingly beautiful. But they were very abstract, too. I soon discovered that I find it easier to think about the world through people and situations, through characters and stories. What might you come up against? How do you face threats? How can you give meaning and significance to what you experience? Might meaning not lie primarily in beauty and feeling? I found out that the wonderful richness of symbols, words, language and poetry were, for me, instruments I could use to make sense of the world, to give it colour and significance. I don’t want to convince or argue, but to explore and show, to let everyone see what I find and invent, sensual and fanciful things. I want to play language games, in an even broader sense than Wittgenstein’s and with an emphasis on play.
First stories: childhood The first stories I wrote were about my childhood. About how I became conscious of the world for the first time, and about the itching craziness, freedom and pleasure, curiosity and discovery – but also, of course, about the fears I had as a child. The infinite world you’re thrown into, full of the strange characters that grandpa, grandma and parents talked about. Wonderful natural phenomena, stories about voyages of discovery and exotic cultures and countries, stars and planets... As a child I devoured it all. Greedily and insatiably. The books my parents read aloud to me and that I later read for myself – Roald Dahl, Astrid Lindgren, Michael Ende, Otfried Preussler, Paul Biegel – served up to me the adventures and worlds that I longed for and became engrossed in. Worlds I would go out and explore when I was bigger.
That’s why my books are so diverse; each genre gives me a metaphorical landscape to explore a different sort of freedom and new challenges for my characters. Each genre brings with it new ways of playing with language.
‘Without mimicking Tonke Dragt, he creates the same atmosphere as the Grand Old Lady of Historical Fantasy Literature. [...] Rarely has the soul been used so beautifully.’ – Dagblad van het Noorden
who a story is ultimately for: young children, adolescents or grown-ups. The story gradually acquires a dynamic of its own. My latest book, The Water Warden of Wetterland, is an outand-out comedy, a rollercoaster ride of entanglements and misunderstandings, amorous adventures and absurdities. In this book I concentrate on enjoying language, without worrying too much about the subject. I was inspired in that sense by Sjoerd Kuypers’ Hotel The Big L and of course by the books of Roald Dahl. I write about my many crazy characters and the bizarre adventures they get caught up in with alliteration and rhyme, with plays on words, mangled sentences and odd little verses. At last I’ve completely left philosophical thinking behind. This time I don’t explore the themes of freedom, curiosity and zest for life in a story thought out beforehand. Instead I try to make everything immediately palpable in the language itself. In the adventure.
Children Why do I write for children? When I’m writing for children I feel free and uninhibited. Children are experiencing everything for the first time; the world is still new and terrific – not always beautiful or pleasant, but intense. The discovery and exploration that I love so much have a great internal aspect too, because even more than adults, children are formed by the adventures they have. And that’s fascinating: coming of age against the background of great adventures, brought to life in the living fabric of language.
Many genres In a futuristic story – such as Wiped – I could pursue ideas from the present day into the far reaches of a strange, distant time. Fly!, a story about my childhood, enabled me to relive and sublimate feelings, memories and dreams from that time. In The Keyholder I wrote a fairy tale, a great form for exploring themes like courage, or good and evil, using symbols that everyone recognizes. Kroonsz was a historical gothic novel, a genre that gave me a chance to explore and evaluate old beliefs and traditions. The supernatural, the magical or fantastical, which crops up in many of my books, is never an end in itself; just a dash of it sets me up to broach a universal theme using what you might call a symbolic power tool. Along the way I find out
About The Keeper of the Key: ‘Marco Kunst tells the tale of The Keeper of the Key like a story that could have been around forever: fairy tale-like, exciting, intelligent, an adventure story that could have been written by Tonke Dragt.’ – nrc Handelsblad
About The Water Warden of Wetterland: ‘Crazy Kunst well on its way to the level of Roald Dahl.’ – nrc Handelsblad
Marco Kunst & Marieke Nelissen
The Water Warden of the Wetterlands ‘Crazy Kunst well on its way to the level of Roald Dahl.’ – nrc Handelsblad Marco Kunst has created a playful, wildly inventive and exciting story, with memorable characters, and a lively use of language that is reminiscent of Lewis Carroll’s in its originality and humorousness. The absurdity of the events, the strong characterization, and the ingenious storyline should appeal to readers of Roald Dahl, David Walliams or David Baddiel, for example, whilst the dual narration from the insatiably curious and irrepressible twins, Toffee and Gum, will make the book appealing to boys and girls alike. And although the tone is consistently humorous, the plot of the novel makes it clear that there are some serious environmental issues lurking in the background. Water really is something that should be watched and warded… – Antoinette Fawcett (translator) ‘The insanely beautiful illustrations by Marieke Nelissen bring even more life to the story and truly complete the book.’ – In de boekenkast
My name is Toffee. One day I’ll explain exactly how I got that name. But first I’m going to tell you how it all began. It began on a perfectly ordinary Saturday. My sister and I were lazing around on the sofa, watching telly. Incidentally, my sister’s name is Gum. Yes, I know, another one of those weird names. I will explain. Later. There’s just too much to tell all in one go: all that stuff about Husky Horace, the Water Warden, the Marshe, Nuncle Tirry, Rambo’s Marshpad, the Source Chief, Aunty T, the Wishwash and so on. So I Really Must Begin at the Beginning! The twins Toffee and Gum tell you in alternating chapters about their crazy adventures in the Marshe. Just imagine: their parents – who are always competing to see who is earning most – suddenly receive a letter stating that their mother is the legitimate heir of her great-great-great-greatgreat second cousin four times removed and thus may claim the Marshe and the function of Water Warden. These parents obviously immediately smell money: a Marshe like that just begs to be turned into a residential area – or so they think... So Toffee and Gum and their au pairs, Limona and Vanilia, are rushed to the Water Warden House. But it turns out they’re not the only ones who think they can inherit the Marshe. And the Marshe doesn’t want to be built on. In its damp, swampy surroundings strange things are happening – and Toffee and Gum go out to investigate what exactly is going on. But they might just be poking their noses into matters that are none of their business!
Marco Kunst is a philosopher and writer with a wide range of publications to his name, from juvenile novels, radio plays, essays and poems to a novel for adults. Lemniscaat has published, amongst other titles: The Keeper of the Key, Fly! and Kroonsz. WWW.MARCOKUNST.NL Marieke Nelissen is a much sought-after illustrator and graphic designer. She already had a lot of illustration experience when she submitted her first picture book illustrations to the Lemniscaat Illustration Contest… and won! WWW.LEPETITSTUDIO.NL 21
Original title: De Waterwaack van Natterlande | trim size: 14.3 x 21.5 cm | [hardback], 418 pages | age: 10+
Sample translation available
Marloes Morshuis About Cooking for the Emperor: 'Freshly written fairytale-like debut with an original twist.' – de Volkskrant
Rights sold: Gerstenberg (Germany)
Borealis A compelling and shocking international adventure with drastic consequences Ten days and three hours. That was the time he had spent at Borealis so far. The only good news was that Joppe was no longer afraid that they would kill him. He wiped his hands on his trousers and climbed a few metres higher to view his work from a distance. It had taken hours for him to find enough large branches to form the letters. But now his message was easy to spot on the mountainside. HELP. The only thing he needed now was a helicopter and an observant pilot. Hopefully that would put an end to this nightmare. Joppe has been kidnapped – and he isn’t the only one. At a cold, isolated Borealis, 180 children from all over the world await their fate, guarded by the Crew and supervised by the Triassic. The children have everything they need in Borealis, but the rules are strict and the fences are high. When they hear why they were snatched from their familiar world, the children realise that their fate is linked to that of the entire world. The Triassic has chosen them for a special future. Will they cooperate? The long cold winter is approaching, but the temperature at Borealis is rising. Joppe will do everything to regain his freedom. But not everyone at Borealis is well-meaning…
Marloes Morshuis is an independent writer, editor and communications consultant. For ten years she worked as a campaign coordinator for the Dutch political party GroenLinks. In 2015 she made her debut at Lemniscaat with the acclaimed juvenile fiction title Cooking for the Emperor. www.marloesmorshuis.nl
‘Stirring eco thriller. […] Borealis is […] an adventure centered around a socio-political theme – climate change, in this case.’ – Trouw ‘Marloes Morshuis has written a story with a tough message. […] She conveys that message in a very original way. […] Thrilling until the end.’ **** – Kidsweek ‘A truly exciting story with a contemporary subject that transports you to a new world. Enthralling until the end.’ – De Telegraaf 23
Original title: Borealis | trim size: 14.3 x 21.5 cm | [hardback], 280 pages | age: 12+
Sample translation available
Peter-Paul Rauwerda
Esther Sprikkelman
The Nine Rooms
Bee Father A beautiful unassuming debut about first loves, friendship, and how oppressive life in a small community can be
A rich psychological novel in the tradition of magical realism and imaginative narrative
Jonas has been suffering terrible headaches for quite some time. Just when he is home alone, the headaches become almost unbearable. That’s when strange things start to happen. One night, while Jonas is asleep, there is a burglary. When he wakes up the next morning, he discovers that the uninvited guest has cleaned the room and left a big book. In the book, Jonas reads about a rather peculiar house. When he finds out, later that day, that a house has appeared where there was still an undeveloped field the day before, he can’t control his curiosity and decides to enter... The house gets a hold on Jonas. Like Alice in Wonderland, he wanders from room to room, and from one bizarre situation to the next. While his head is throbbing, all sorts of events and stories take place that seem to bounce back and forth between dream and reality. Will Jonas be able to escape from the clutches of the house? Peter-Paul Rauwerda wrote a hypnotic, psychological story in which the reader, just as Jonas, is torn between reality and fantasy. In a colourful language reminiscent of the books by Zafón and Marquez, Rauwerda paints a world that will linger long after the book is closed.
‘A book that will be read and cherished by both young readers and adults.’ ***** ‘Rauwerda doesn’t tell whether the adventure is a dream or a real adventure. He lets his readers decide for themselves, and that makes the book even more special.’ ***** – reader’s reviews on hebban.nl
Summer 1985. A terrible event leaves Johanne’s boyfriend Henrico in a coma. He has probably lost his memory, and Johanne is afraid he won’t remember anything about her or their time together. That time together began a few months earlier, on the day Johanne, her mother and little brother Paulie moved from the city of Utrecht to Warsum, a small village in the east of the Netherlands. When Johanne goes to get chips from the local snackbar one evening and meets Henrico there, she knows after one look into his turquoise eyes that she is in love. On cassette tapes – in the hope they’ll refresh Henrico’s memory when he wakes up – Johanne tells him about the long, sweltering summer that followed. From that first sight of him in the snackbar, via the wonderful world of neighbour Lomme’s bees in which her brother becomes absorbed, through endless adventures on the beach with Henrico’s friends and the attractive Dora, to that terrible day when... And everything in between. With no apparent effort, in astute, almost poetic sentences and without wasting a single word, Esther Sprikkelman draws her readers into the constraining life of a small village, with its loves, quarrels, intrigues... and a big secret.
Peter-Paul Rauwerda is an econometrist. He previously worked for an advertising agency and now illustrates children’s and picture books. The Nine Rooms is his debut novel. WWW.PPRAUWERDA.NL
‘Sprikkelman can write.’ **** – de Volkskrant
24 Original title: De negen kamers | trim size: 14.3 x 21.5 cm | [hardback], 200 pages | age: 16+
Sample translation available
‘With her pungent, direct tone, Esther Sprikkel man rivets her readers from page one. […] A striking new voice we’ll hopefully hear more from.’ – Trouw ‘A gripping story that revolves around sensory impressions and strong emotions.’ – 7Days Esther Sprikkelman was a singer and songwriter who toured Europe and America with her band. Now she is a copywriter and teacher of Dutch at a college. Most of all she likes reading poems aloud and writing and directing school musicals. Bee Father is her debut novel. 25
Original title: Bijenvader | trim size: 14.3 x 21.5 cm | [paperback], 150 pages | age: 15+
Annet Huizing & Margot Westermann
The Sweaty-Feet Man. Stories about the Law The winner of the Silver Slate Pencil writes the ultimate book about the law – for all ages You think the law is boring? Then you should read the bizarre but true story of a man with stinking feet who went to extremes to get justice. It didn’t get him anything at all. It did us, though. Thanks to the sweaty-feet man we got a title for our book. Now let’s just hope he doesn’t accuse us of stealing his nickname. Who would have thought the law could be so varied, funny and interesting? In a book full of exciting stories for children and adults, Annet Huizing, along with illustrator Margot Westermann, brings the rule of law to life.
The stories are accompanied by cartoon-style drawings and lively infographics about, for example, what goes on in a courtroom, the difference between murder and manslaughter, and the role of the Supreme Court. A book that shows that the law is everywhere, and belongs to everyone. Annet Huizing writes fiction and non-fiction for children. She made her debut at Lemniscaat in 2014 with How I Accidentally Wrote a Book, which won her a Silver Slate Pencil. WWW.OLIFANTENSTAPELEN.NL Margot Westermann is a designer and illustrator. Having worked for years designing products and patterns, she now specializes in text and images. WWW.SOLOMOOS.NL
From rapper Typhoon, pulled over because he was driving an expensive car, to the unjust conviction of Lucia de B. and the man who shouted ‘f*ck the king!’, to whether young sailor Laura should be allowed to cross the ocean alone: based on famous and less famous cases past and present the reader discovers how the law works, what happens in court, how laws are made and how difficult it is to judge, because every case has so many sides to it. Does a dog have a right to a say? Can you steal back your own bicycle? When are you allowed to clout someone? Why are there rules about chocolate sprinkles? Countless questions are touched upon, whether to make you burst out laughing, to amaze you or to make you think.
Sabine Wassenberg
How Children See the World Philosophy in the classroom Sabine Wassenberg has been engaging children in philosophy at multi-cultural primary schools in Amsterdam for over ten years. She leads her pupils in discussions on Big Questions, and is unafraid to tackle taboos. Remarkably, how these children reason is often clearer and more direct than how grown-ups tend to debate. With a completely open attitude, she listens intently to what everyone has to say, which reveals a lot about how children from different cultural backgrounds think. And it forces her to reconsider some of her own entrenched western values. How Children See the World is an eye-opener for everyone with an interest in the future of our multi-cultural society – and who hasn’t?
‘Perhaps we need to invent a new word for philosophical answers. It’s not right or wrong, it’s not yes or no, but both at the same time. So “nes”, and “yo”!’ – Joy, 12 years ‘Actually there’s nothing we really know. All we can do is think we know!’ – Manal, 12 years ‘The is people aren’t Muslims. Because to kill other people is haram.’ – Abdelrachman, 11 years ‘All those years of doing philosophy with children has changed me. It has taught me to be radically modest about my own viewpoints, and to nurture a Socratic understanding for another person’s opinions. What goes on in my multi-cultural classroom is a reflection of what goes on in society at large, or even in the world as a whole.’ – Sabine Wassenberg
Sabine Wassenberg is a philosopher and teaches philosophy at several schools, mainly in Amsterdam. She wrote two educational books about doing philosophy with children. She also offers workshops, training courses, personal counselling and lectures for adults, and she organises retreats. www.sabinewassenberg.com
27
Original title: De zweetvoetenman. Verhalen over het recht trim size: 20.8 x 25 cm | [hardback], 260 pages | age: 11+
Original title: Kinderlogica | trim size: 14.3 x 21.5 cm | [paperback], 232 pages
Sample translation available
Marlies Verhelst – Illustrated by Linde Faas
ibby Collection of Books for Young People with Disabilities
The Feast for the King severely visually impaired and blind children to experience the illustrations by using their sense of touch. To achieve this, dozens of materials were used that reflect the beautiful visual illustrations. The text is in both print and braille.
The catalogue ibby Selection of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities is published every two years. It draws attention to fifty books recommended by the more than seventy-five national sections of the International Board on Books for Young People. The catalogue accompanies an exhibition of the books that travels all over the world. The aim of the catalogue and the travelling exhibition is to make the recommended books an inspiration to people working with children who have intellectual or physical disabilities. For the 2017 Selection of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities, the Dutch section of ibby has nominated two books or projects, including The Feast for the King. Uitgeverij Lemniscaat and Koninklijke Visio have come together to develop a tactile version of this picture book by writer Marlies Verhelst and illustrator Linde Faas. It enables
Lemniscaat had a dream: to make picture books visible to blind and visually impaired children. Along with Karadi Tales, a publishing company in India, a plan was worked out and the tactile picture book was born. First came The Very Hungry Caterpillar, each of its images created by using a wide range of fabrics. The structures of the different fabrics give children an impression of the picture they are looking at. Since then, four picture books in tactile form have appeared. As well as The Very Hungry Caterpillar there is the joyful The Feast for the King, the night-time story I Can Feel a Foot and a picture book to sing along to: Outside There is a Sheep. All are tactile works of art that provide blind and visually impaired children with a glimpse into the rich world of the picture book. The inclusion of The Feast for the King in the ibby Collection is the ultimate sign of recognition for the series.
A festive picture book
Tarantula has created a delightful and delicious celebration cake for the birthday of King Lion. On top is a showpiece – an extra tender piece of meat. The moment Tarantula turns his back to the cake, however, that tasty top disappears... Tarantula is furious! Who is the culprit? He roams the jungle to inspect all the animals’ mouths, and woe to the bones of the animal where he finds traces of meat between its teeth. How will the search end?! Established children’s author Marlies Verhelst makes her debut at Lemniscaat with The Feast for the King. Linde Faas’ illustrations are fierce as the jungle itself and her spider’s rage on his search for the evildoer is smashing. You’ll marvel at every animal she depicts.
Rights sold: tomorrow publishing (China) CO & ko publishing (Korea) minedition (France) Lemniscaat (usa) Marlies Verhelst studied Dutch Language and Literature. She has not stopped writing stories and columns for adults and children’s books since that time. The Feast for the King is her eleventh children’s book and her Lemniscaat debut. www.marliesverhelst.nl Linde Faas graduated with honours from the Art Academy of Breda. She has worked as an animator for cartoon films, as an artist, and internationally as an illustrator. For Lemniscaat she has illustrated books including titles by Pieter Koolwijk about Flea and Spikey, as well as the picture books Santa Claus Misses a Year with Susanne Wiersma and The Feast for the King with Marlies Verhelst. WWW.LINDEFAAS.NL 29
Original title: Feestmaal voor de koning | trim size: 14.3 x 21.5 cm | [hardback], 32 pages | age: 3+
Full translation available
Alice Hoogstad
Mark Janssen
My Grandma Is a Stork
Nothing Happened An ode to the endless imagination of every child
For all very normal children with crazy grandparents
It is evening. Saar and Niek are thinking about their dull day. Nothing happened, really... Well... Niek did stand on his hands, went for a swim and sat around for a bit – and Saar caught a glimpse of a butterfly and went down a slide. But this is where the magic of children’s imagination emerges – dreamily illustrated by Mark Janssen. For the handstand was made on the head of a tiger. Niek took a rest on the nose of an enormous dragon and swam with colourful fish. And Saar slid down an elephant’s trunk and saw the butterfly while she was standing among some really cuddly bears.
Meet a colourful family of animals. Aunt, uncle, father, mother, brother and sister, and the main character himself, of course, have all sorts of happy, colourful attributes, hobbies, traits and exterior features of their granddads and grandmas – and of each other. The colourful animals are introduced in a masterly Hoogstad way: the large colourful pictures, together with all sorts of detailed drawings, allow you learn everything about them. No matter how often you read the book, you will always discover something new. Have you figured out for each family member where they got which characteristic? And can you find the family member on each page?
With Saar and Niek, you slip back into the world where you also used to walk home with lions and sing higher than the brightly coloured tropical birds. A delightfully cheerful book that sparkles with fantasy and erases all boundaries between dream and daily reality. A must-have for every child – and for every parent who remembers being one.
‘The refined use of colour and the sophisticated compositions stand out.’ – Trouw
‘Over the past years, Alice Hoogstad has proven her ability to create wonderful picture books. [...] Her strength lies in the combination of the obvious and the wonderful.’ – Nederlands Dagblad
Alice Hoogstad has been illustrating children’s books for years. Best of all she likes to work on her own picture books. Monster Book won her the Golden Paintbrush in 2015 and last year My Grandma is a Stork was a big hit during the Dutch Children’s Book Week.
About Monster Book: ‘Alice Hoogstad has produced a beautiful, enchanting picture book. She uses her distinctive drawing style to produce a delightful book. [...] When leafing through Monster Book you get the urge to do some colouring yourself.’ – Jury report, Paintbrush Jury 2015
‘An ode to children’s power of imagination, full of dreamy, colourful, wonderful illustrations.’ – j/m Ouders
Rights sold: fisher verlag (Germany) silcheonmunhak (Korea) tomorrow publishing (China) Il Castello (Italy) TURBINE (Denmark) CAN ÇOCUK PUBLISHING (Turkey)
‘Gorgeous illustrations. [...] You immediately want to have these large animal portraits on your wall.’ – Trouw ‘Mark Janssen [...] goes all-out in his first picture book. You just have to get happy looking at his sparkling and exciting fairytale worlds.’ – nrc Handelsblad
Mark Janssen studied at the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts and Design. He illustrates books for children and for adults, and has worked on more than 350 books so far. Nothing Happened is his first own picture book. WWW.MARK-JANSSEN.NL
30 Original title: Mijn oma is een ooievaar | trim size: 27 x 36 cm | [board book], 32 pages | age: 4+
Full translation available
31 Original title: Niets gebeurd | trim size: 29.7 x 24.5 cm | [hardcover], 40 pages | age: 4+
Full translation available
Janis Ian and Ingrid & Dieter Schubert
The Tiny Mouse
A picture book by nine-time Grammy award nominee Janis Ian with illustrations from the team that created the awardwinning The Umbrella
Singer-songwriter Janis Ian’s new charming and witty children’s song has now become a picture book illustrated by Ingrid and Dieter Schubert. The Tiny Mouse follows the adventures of a bored mouse who decides to go to sea and narrowly escapes a grisly death. In his moment of truth, he understands that it’s better to be a whole mouse at home than someone’s dinner at sea.
Rights sold: Lemniscaat (usa)
Ingrid and Dieter Schubert, creators of The Umbrella and many other acclaimed picture books, give the tiny mouse his dapper and affable appearance and bring his perilous adventures to life with plenty of sly humor.
Ingrid and Dieter Schubert were born in Germany. They studied at the Design Academy in Munster and the Art Academy in Düsseldorf. They then moved to Amsterdam to study at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy. Their numerous picture books have been published in over twenty languages and their art has been exhibited all over the world. www.ingriddieterschubert.com Janis Ian is songwriter, performer, and author with 9 Grammy nominations. Her songs ‘At Seventeen’ and ‘Society’s Child’ are in the Grammy Hall Of Fame. Her autobiography, Society’s Child, received starred reviews for both the book and the audiobook from Booklist in addition to a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Audio. www.janisian.com 33
Original title: Piepkleine muis | trim size 29.4 x 24 cm | [hardback], 32 pag. | age: 3+
Full translation available
Maranke Rinck & Martijn van der Linden
Maranke Rinck & Martijn van der Linden
The Other Rabbit – including memo game
Tangram Cat – including tangram puzzle
‘Wildly original.’ ***** – de Volkskrant
‘Not only a very original and innovative idea, but also brilliantly executed, surprising and witty.’
Rights sold: tomorrow publishing (China) lemniscaat ltd (English worldwide) EkarÉ (Spain, Venezuela) kaleidoscope (France)
– Dutch Foundation for Literature
Everyone knows the popular children’s memory game in which the goal is to find as many matching images as possible among a series of picture cards placed face-down on the table. The Other Rabbit begins with a mass of such playing cards. The first card to be turned over is Rabbit. In a world where everyone has a counterpart, Rabbit is searching for the Other Rabbit. He flies through the air, walks across land, travels across the sea but still cannot find him. Finally, he learns that the Other Rabbit is on another island and that the dragon who lives there won’t let him leave because he is afraid of feeling lonely. Rabbit comes up with the perfect solution and no one is lonely any more. Rabbit’s quest, as described by Maranke Rinck, is both refreshing and funny. The story is accompanied by bright, eye-catching illustrations created by Rinck’s husband Martijn van der Linden.
A boy plays with tangram. He uses the pieces to lay a cat – a wonderful cat of course, you can leave that up to Martijn van der Linden. But the cat feels lonely...
‘One of the most original picture books of the year.’ – Trouw
Suddenly I understood the cat. ‘You want someone to play with!’ I said. The cat still didn’t say anything. But I knew I was right.
About Martijn van der Linden: ‘Perhaps the best animals illustrator in the country.’ – jaapleest.nl
Now tangram isn’t easy. The boy thinks he’s laying down a new cat, but it turns out to be a dog, which chases after the cat. A new try turns out to be a crocodile – not what you would call a nice friend! The cat has to put up with a lot before the boy gets a really good idea. He lays down himself! Now they can play together.
Rights sold: Lemniscaat USA de la martiniere jeunesse (France) Il Castello (Italy) Changbi (Korea) tomorrow publishing (China)
Martijn and Maranke constantly reinvent them selves. They conquered the world with I Feel a Foot! and last year with The Other Rabbit. In Tangram Cat, they surpass themselves yet again.
Highlighted by the Dutch Foundation
‘Not only terribly ingenious and extremely beautiful, but also great fun.’ – nrc Handelsblad Maranke Rinck is a full-time author, writing stories for children as well as texts for companies. With her husband Martijn van der Linden, she forms a wonderful artistic couple. WWW.MARANKERINCK.NL Martijn van der Linden studied illustration at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. He works for several publishers as designer and illustrator. For Lemniscaat, he and Maranke produced The Prince Child, I Feel a Foot! and of course The Other Rabbit. WWW.MARTIJNVANDERLINDEN.NL
34 original title: Memorykonijn | trim size: 25 x 25 cm | [hardback], 48 pages | age: 3+
Full translation available
35 Original title: Tangramkat | trim size: 25 x 25 cm | [hardback], 32 pages | age: 5+
Full translation available
Arienne Bolt & Linde Faas
Pieter Koolwijk
Sjoerd Kuyper
Annet Huizing
The Last Journey of the Ballerinus
Boss of the World
The Big L Hotel
How I Accidentally Wrote a Book
NEW CO V E R
An odyssey with a ship full of animals for all young adventurers
A hilarious pursuit adventure to make the world more beautiful Ivo and Mila don’t know what is happening to them when Boss the tramp pops up in front of them. But before they realise it, they are involved in a Greater Plan to save the world. And the fact that Boss is more than a dirty tramp gradually dawns on them when, pursued by the police, they fly off in a shopping cart, end up in a supersonic space in the sewers and discover that Boss can predict the future... Will it turn out all right for the world? And what on earth is in that suspicious brown package that Boss constantly carries around with him?
Fawlty Towers run by four children ‘With his superb style, his dark humour and unparalleled sense of the absurd, [Sjoerd Kuyper] turns The Big L Hotel into that one book in a thousand.’ – Jury report, Slate Pencil Jury 2015
A compelling children’s book and writing course in one
‘This prose is irresistible. You can only conclude that Kuyper is a true writer for teenage boys.’ ***** – de Volkskrant
‘Something of everything and all in perfect balance. A book that doesn’t fit into any of the pigeon holes and therefore ought to be on every shelf in the bookshops. Annet Huizing has done [...] the most impossible thing of all.’ – Jury report, Slate Pencil Jury 2015
‘Reading Kuyper makes your heart pump faster, tingling with happiness.’ ***** – nrc Handelsblad
‘Tight prose. […] Sensible, often funny, and moving at just the right moments.’ – Trouw
‘Arienne Bolt writes beautifully and her story is full of adventure. [...] A story sparkling with adventure.’ **** – Kidsweek
Pieter Koolwijk is a fantasy fanatic. His short stories have been published in various magazines, one of which he received the Unleash Award 2011. His debut with Lemniscaat, Flea and Spikey, was sold and published in France, Germany, Turkey, Brazil and the USA. www.pieterkoolwijk.nl
Rights sold: Rageot Editeur (France) Zalosba Zala (Slovenia) Thienemann (Germany) Saenggakin Jip (Korea) Kirmizi Kedi Yayinlari (Turkey) La nuova frontiera (Italy)
Rights sold: Syros (France) Zalosba Zala (Slovenia) mixtvision (Germany) toto books (Korea) genÇ destek (Turkey) albus korvus (Russia)
Rights sold: Gerstenberg (Germany)
Full translation available
Full translation available
Full translation available
Original title: De laatste reis van de Ballerinus
Original title: Baas van de wereld
Original title: Hotel De Grote L
Original title: Hoe ik per ongeluk een boek schreef
trim size: 14.3 x 21.5 cm | [hardback], 336 pages | age: 10+
trim size: 24 x 17 cm |[hardback], 216 pages | age: 10+
trim size: 14.3 x 21.5 cm | [hardback], 228 pages | age: 12+
trim size: 14.3 x 21.5 cm | [hardback], 130 pages | age: 10+
Ravi and his dog IJs live near the water. On his birthday, Ravi receives a subscription to a zoo and he meets captain Sep and his talking parrot John. The zoo turns out to be an old curcus. Ravi discovers that the ringmaster is planning to sell the animals to the butcher. He decides to rescue them and they all set off to sea to take the animals home. The Last Journey of the Ballerinus is exciting, amusing and touching. A story about friendship, in which Ravi discovers what he wants most.
Recent translations
Speeltuin Fondo de Cultura (Mexico) Verrassing Lemniscaat (usa)
Vrolijk Lemniscaat (uk)
Kom uit die kraan! Il Castello (Italy)
Vriendjes - Board book Minedition (France)
Vrolijk - Gift edition (mini) Aracari (Germany)
Hotel De Grote L La nuova frontiera (Italy)
Hvad har du lavet i dag? Niels har stået på hænder, været ude at svømme og lyttet til fuglenes sang. Så egentlig ikke rigtigt noget. Sarah har plukket et æble, rutsjet en tur og set en sommerfugl. Altså ikke noget særligt. Men forestil dig engang, hvis der skete noget helt fantastisk eller magisk … En smuk billedbog om fantasiens kraft.
MARK JANSSEN
Vrolijk Tomorrow publishing (China) Speeltuin Il Castello (Italy)
Vriendjes Il Castello (Italy)
Speeltuin Aracari (Germany)
Kapitein Kees Carlsen (Germany)
Hoe ik per ongeluk een boek schreef Toto Books Publishing (Korea)
Mark Janssen
FORESTIL DIG DET
Dit is voor jou Turbine (Denmark) Vrolijk - Big board book Minedition (France)
Kom uit die kraan! Afûk (Friesland)
Speeltuin Forteller Forlaget (Norway)
Bens boot Can Çocuk publishing (Turkey)
Vrolijk Fondo de Cultura Económica (Mexico)
Kom uit die kraan! Turbine (Denmark)
FORESTIL DIG DET
Niets gebeurd Turbine (Denmark)
For more information regarding translation or production grants by the Dutch Foundation for Literature visit www.letterenfonds.nl.
L E M N I S CA A T P U B L I S H E R S P . O . BOX 4066 NL – 3006 AB ROTTE RDAM PH ONE +31 (0)10 206 29 24 FOREIGNRIGHTS@LEMNISCAAT .NL WWW . LEMNISCAAT .NL