Panda Colour
‘When the panda became king, everything changed. That day, the animals’ world lost all of its colour.’
This is the opening of the latest picture book by Annemarie van Haeringen, winner of the Max Velthuijs lifetime achievement award. The panda doesn’t think it’s fair that all the other animals get to wear beautiful colourful clothes while he doesn’t. After all, he’s the one who’s king. So, from now on, he orders everyone to dress in black and white. He, on the other hand, wants to be as colourful and vibrant as possible, wearing the peacock’s feathers one day and the butterfly’s wings or the fire salamander’s skin the other.
Yet the king is never truly happy. All those beautiful colours he sees are mere reflections of himself in the mirror; the real world around him has become colourless. When he tries on the slug’s outfit, he feels totally embarrassed and throws it off, retreating to his own black-and-white patches. Which, it turns out, suit him to a T. With a sigh of relief, all the other animals put their usual colours back on.
Van Haeringen’s expressive illustrations invite young readers into a story about being the boss, pretending to be something you’re not, and recognising when you’ve got things wrong.
By award-winning illustrator Annemarie van Haeringen (three-time Gouden Penseel winner for best-illustrated children’s book, Max Velthuijs-prijs 2025, nominated for the Deutsche Jugendliteraturpreis 2026)
A colourful picture book about being yourself and owning up to mistakes
Three-time Gouden Penseel winner Annemarie van Haeringen (b. 1959) studied under Thé Tjong-Khing at art school, but she learned most about the profession of illustration from her fellow artist Max Velthuijs. Since her debut in 1985, her work has evolved from detailed watercolour and ink illustrations to whimsical line drawings featuring a bold use of colour and plenty of space on the paper. Picture books form the core of Van Haeringen’s oeuvre. She often writes them herself, as well as illustrating, as in her award-winning 'Beer is op Vlinder' (Bear Loves Butterfly) and 'Coco or the Little Black Dress'.