Archive for the ‘Children's Books’ Category

The Adventures Of Super Lorelei by Barbara Rogoski

Thursday, March 14th, 2013

On Saturday, March 23rd, Barbara Ragoski will launch her book The Adventures of Super Lorelei, The Little Superhero with the Really Big Mission at the ABC Treehut in The Hague, from 12 – 14 hrs.

Entrance is € 3,- or free if you present a copy of the book + your ABC receipt for it at the door of the ABC Treehut.

About the book:

The Adventures of Super Lorelei, The Little Superhero with the Really Big Mission, is the first in a series of storybooks that follow the life of a remarkable teenage girl named Lorelei. She and her faithful dog Maxx come to Earth from the planet Harmonia with a secret mission: to help the people of Earth to find more peace, equality, acceptance and justice for all people – regardless of their sexual orientation or their difference. Lorelei is the first fictional superhero for children who happens to be gay. She stands up for gay rights and human rights and gives a clear message that bullying is not OK. Her life on Harmonia is described, why she was chosen for this important mission, her amazing superpowers and the special gadgets she will use on her mission to Earth. The book is designed for easy reading and to be a tool to start a dialogue for parents with their children, teachers with their students, and for socially-minded people to support its message. Super Lorelei is a new lesbian role model and an example of a noble champion for peace and justice. A little storybook with a really big message: Everyone has the right to live and love in peace!

About the author:

Barbara Rogoski is an American author, speaker, ordained minister and gay rights activist living outside of Amsterdam. She has written this book to draw attention to the violence and discrimination against LGBT people around the world and to create a gay superhero that children can look up to. Barbara came out of the closet at age 45 and began looking for lesbian role models in literature. She saw teenagers committing suicide because they were bullied or thrown out of their homes for telling their parents they were gay. Creating the character of Super Lorelei as role model and hero was Barbara’s way to create a tool to teach children about the need for tolerance, kindness and love for all people.

Barbara will do a short presentation called, “We Need More Heroes” about how she came to write the story of Super Lorelei and the messages she wants to draw attention to: the seriousness of bullying, teen suicides caused by bullying, reaching out to stop bullying, gay rights, human rights and the need for social justice. She will also discuss her plan to bring Super Lorelei into primary schools to give teachers a tool for dialogue to educate the young about these challenging issues. Barbara will then lead an open discussion about the book and its topics, and lastly will have a book signing for those who would like to buy the book.

Loved Percy Jackson? Try these!

Wednesday, February 20th, 2013

If you like Percy Jackson and the Olympians, as well as Heroes of Olympus, try:

Gift Ideas: Young Adult Books, Children’s Books, Childcare & Parenting

Friday, November 9th, 2012

Let us be your personal shoppers!

ABC’s booksellers don’t just sell books: as well as being voracious readers, almost all ABC staff members are personally responsible for buying the books for one or more sections in the stores. That means you’ll always find someone who can put exactly the right book in your hands when you need it. We asked our buyers for their tips for the best gifts for the upcoming holiday season, and they came up with some great ones: new books, classic books, magazines, games, merchandise, and stationery.

Today you’ll find gift ideas for Young Adult books, Children’s Books and Childcare & Parenting as supplied by Lília, Sigrid and Agnes.

Even more gift ideas can be found here and here!

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Children’s Book Week: Hello World!

Thursday, September 27th, 2012

The annual Dutch Children’s Book Week (Kinderboekenweek) starts next week! From October 3rd until October 14th, children’s books will enjoy a special national spotlight, with many activities taking place across the country. This year’s theme is Hello World!

One of the events not (yet) mentioned on the Kinderboekenweek Activities page is the lecture and book signing that US children’s book author Jeff Kinney will give in Amsterdam on October 7th.  Kinney is the author of the immensely popular The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, so be sure to check out the John Adams Institute website for more information on how to attend!

Unfortunately ABC is not eligible to give away the free present (kinderboekenweekgeschenk) because we don’t sell Dutch-language books. We do, however, have quite a selection of Dutch children’s books translated into English. Below you’ll find all that are currently in print and available in our stores, with their Dutch titles in parentheses.

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Max Velthuijs - Frog in Love (Kikker is verliefd), Frog in Winter (Kikker in de kou), Frog is Frog (Kikker is kikker), Frog Finds a Friend (Kikker vindt een vriendje), Frog and a Very Special Day (Kikker en een heel bijzondere dag), Frog and the Stranger (Kikker en de vreemdeling)

There is quite a selection of Frog books still in translation, as you can see here.  We get the feeling they’re going out of print, though, so better come get them while we still have stock!

Dick Bruna - Miffy (Nijntje)

There are a *lot* of Miffy books in translation out there.  They go in and out of print, but generally there are a few titles available.

Annie M. G. SchmidtJip and Janneke (Jip en Janneke), Jip and Janneke: Two Kids from Holland, Tow-Truck Pluck (Pluk van de Petteflet), and A Pond Full of Ink

A Pond Full of Ink has no Dutch edition; it is a collection of some of Annie M. G. Schmidt’s most popular poems.

Bibi Dumon Tak - Soldier Bear (Soldaat Wojtek)

Update 3/10: Bibi Dumon Tak just won the 2012 Gouden Griffel (“Golden Stylus”), the prize for Best Children’s Book of the Year, for her book Winterdieren (Winter Animals).  Hopefully an English translation will follow soon!


Toon TellegenThe Squirrel’s Birthday and Other Parties, Far Away Across the Sea, and Letters to Anyone and Everyone (Brieven aan niemand anders)

Unfortunately no original Dutch titles are listed for The Squirrel’s Birthday and Other Parties and Far Away Across the Sea.  Our educated guesses for both are that they include De verjaardag van de eekhoorn and “Ik ga op reis” zei de eekhoorn.

Paul van Loon - Alfie the Werewolf (Dolfje Weerwolfje)

Six of the immensely popular Dolfje Weerwolfje series of books have been translated.  They are, in order, Birthday Surprise (Dolfje Weerwolfje), Full Moon (Volle Maan), Silvertooth (Zilvertand), Wolf Wood (Weerwolvenbos), The Evil Triplets (Boze drieling), and Werewolf Secrets (Weerwolfgeheimen).

Jan TerlouwWinter in Wartime (Oorlogswinter)

Thea Beckman - Crusade in Jeans (Kruistocht in spijkerbroek)

N.B. The Cow Who Fell Into the Canal by Phyllis Krasilovsky might or might not be originally Dutch.  We *think* the author is American, although the illustrator (Peter Spier) is Dutch!  Also, Hans Brinker (or, The Silver Skates) is definitely an American book, even if it takes place in the Netherlands.  And finally, the Curious Clara books are written by Maike Mehlert and Ken Carroll, who are expats living in the Netherlands.

Tips for Entertaining Your Kids this Summer

Wednesday, July 4th, 2012

The kids in the South have already started their summer holidays, and those in the Middle and North of the Netherlands are following suit this week and next.  Undoubtedly, many of you will be going away for a well-deserved vacation.  To keep that vacation relaxing and fun, here are some tips for child-friendly entertainment!

Usborne is a well-loved publisher of children’s books, and they also have some absolutely great activity card sets.  How about 100 Things for Little Children to do On a Train, 50 Things to do on a Journey, or 100 Games to Play on Holiday?  For the littlest ones we have 50 Things to do with Your Baby, both for the 0 – 6 months range and the 6 – 12 month range, as well as 50 Things to do with Your Toddler.  Some other excellent suggestions are Animal Doodles, 50 Secret Codes, and 50 Optical Illusions.

For the slightly older children, consider one of the Story Cubes sets, or, in the same vein, Talking Dice.  These consist of sets of dice with simple pictures on each of their sides.  Throw them, and create a story with whatever pictures come up.  And with 9 dice with 6 sides each, that’s 9!x6! = 261273600 possible combinations per set, if our math is right.  Bring plenty of paper and pens to capture the stories!

If you’re blessed with kids who love to make things, there are plenty of craft books around, too.  The Kids’ Crafternoon books are a good start, from sewing to papercraft, but there are also titles like Knitting for Children, for example, and general craft books like Made to Play, Handy Dad, or The Crafty Kid

Teenagers might be a bit more difficult to please – but we’re pretty sure they can’t resist books like Wreck This Journal, Finish This Book, or The Guerilla Art Kit, all by Keri Smith.

Come browse through our Crafts, Paper Engineering, Art and Children’s Book sections before you head off to your holiday!