Book

Sieb Posthuma

Rintje

These heart-warming stories with their colourful illustrations will delight readers of all ages

Sieb Posthuma’s imaginative illustrations are unmistakable: stylised, brightly coloured and humorous. In the stories of his smooth-haired Fox Terrier Rintje he has gone the extra mile by creating delightful ink and Ecoline drawings of great sensitivity and quirkiness.

Arguably the alter ego of Posthuma’s younger self, Rintje is a creature who strides out into the world with an open mind. And his is not just any world, but one in which dog and human are seamlessly fused. In his hybrid universe Rintje can be 100% Fox Terrier, and yet enjoy human adventures and experiences.

He operates in a doggy environment which has appropriated human objects with perfect ease (framed pictures of his ancestors grace the walls of his home, for instance).

On the whole, Rintje’s escapades end well, but running through the stories is an undercurrent of longing for love and a sense of security. He looks for this, and mostly finds it, with his mother, grandma and canine friends Tobias and Henriette.

The stories have a charming old-fashioned gloss – Mum is at home and a classic housewife – but universal and contemporary themes are explored thoughtfully: what is identity and what does it mean? What’s it like to grow up with a single parent? How do you deal with setbacks and difficulties?

For children of around four years old, these are very relatable situations […] The standalone stories are engagingly written and well suited to being read out loud, while the illustrations are funny, colorful and dynamic.

NBD Biblion

The World Has Gone

“Up you get!” Mum calls. “It’s quarter past eight already!”
“I can’t see anything,” says Rintje. “I can’t see anything at all!”
“Then you should open your eyes properly, sleepyhead!” says Mum.
“My eyes are open,” protests Rintje. “But the world has gone. Have a look outside!”
“Oh, is that what you mean!” says Mum. “It’s because of the fog, that’s what happens in the autumn sometimes!”
“We won’t be able to cycle to school,” says Rintje. “We won’t be able to find the way.”
“I’ll find the way,” says Mum. “You’ll still be able to see the things that are close by. If we cycle slowly we’ll get there.”
A moment later Rintje jumps into the front bicycle basket.
“I can’t even see our house anymore!” he shouts when Mum pedals off.
“I can’t look around now,” says Mum. “I have to mind where I’m going!”
“The trees don’t have trunks,” says Rintje. “It’s as if they’re floating.”
“When the suns warms up later the fog will lift,” says Mum.
“Shame,” says Rintje. “It’s perfect for playing hide and seek.”
“But no one will find you,” says Mum.
“Look!” says Rintje. “Flying cows!”
“Ha!” says Mum. “What a funny sight. It’s as if the cows are afloat. It’s because they’ve got their legs in the fog.”
“Rintje!” they hear all of a sudden. It’s Tobias.
“Where are you?” asks Rintje. “I can hear you but I can’t see you!”
“I can’t see you either,” says Tobias. “But I heard your voice, we’re very near you!”
Rintje looks in all directions but he doesn’t see anything. Then Tobias’s head pops up from the clouds of fog. He’s sitting up front in his mother’s bicycle basket.
“Exciting, hey?” he says. “There might be all kinds of scary ghosts and we wouldn’t even know it.”

(Excerpt translated by Suzanne Heukensfeldt Jansen)

Translations

Sieb Posthuma

Illustrator and author Sieb Posthuma (1960-2014) studied at the renowned Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam and began his career with illustrations for newspapers and magazines. He made his debut as a children’s writer with stories about his own dog, Rintje, which he both wrote and illustrated. In…

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Details

Rintje (2011). Children's books.
Copies sold: 50,000

Age: 3+

Themes: classic

Publications

More Dutch Classics

Publisher

Querido Kind

Weteringschans 259
1017 XJ Amsterdam
Nederland
Tel: +31 (0)20 760 72 10

E-mail:
l.van.der.leije@singeluitgeve…
Website:
https://www.singeluitgeverije…

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