Tanneke Wigersma is a newcomer to Dutch children’s literature. She received rave reviews for her picture book debut Een konijnendenkplek. Wigersma was born in 1972 and went to art academy in Kampen, where she learned to illustrate – and how! The illustrations from Een konijnendenkplek were exhibited in De Kunsthal in Rotterdam in summer 2003. With Eight Days with Angel Wigersma has also proved that she can write well.
(Lemniscaat, 2004, 96 pages)
Silke is a girl who prefers to be alone. Whenever anyone tries to make friends with her, things go wrong. One day, out of the blue, she finds Angel on her usual bench in the park. ‘Move it!’ thinks Silke. ‘That’s my bench!’
But this guardian angel has been sent from heaven to discover what is wrong with Silke. But Silke bristles and tries everything to get rid of this pushy girl. Fortunately for Silke, this time that’s none too easy.
(Querido Kind, 2007, 133 pages)
In the 1970s, many themes that had previously been considered off-limits were tackled in new, more gritty and realistic books for young adults. Taboos were there to be broken and authors did so with gusto. However, there still seem to be some subjects that have never before been explored in children’s books. In Mijn laatste dag als genie, Tanneke Wigersma tells the tragic and shocking story of a girl who would prefer not to exist.
