Pear
Clever and amusing story for younger readers.
For six long weeks, Kai must stay with his aunt who lives in a frightening forest. How will he cope? A chance encounter with gnome Peer marks the beginning of an unforgettable summer. An original and gripping story for young readers about an unlikely friendship and the boundary between imagination and reality.
Lucienne van der Leije
l.van.der.leije@singeluitgeverijen.nl
“Only weird people believe in gnomes,” says Dad to Kai. “Are we weird?”
Kai and his parents are making their way to aunty Fee’s house in the forest. Kai is desperate not to go: he has to stay in that horrible place for six whole weeks. His parents tell him he’ll be fine. All those things he’s been reading in fairy tales – witches on brooms, gingerbread houses – aren’t real. Once Kai arrives and watches his parents drive off, all he wants is to go back home!
But soon after that, Kai finds a red pointy hat in the forest. And that pointy hat can’t belong to anyone but a gnome. He’s called Peer. Kai doesn’t believe in him – despite staring him in the face. “Gnomes can sense when you don’t believe in them,” says auntie Fee.
“I don’t believe in cousins or nephews,” says Peer to Kai.
Kai’s parents are horrified by the odd friendship developing between their son and the gnome. Their son believes in gnomes! Has he lost his mind in that forest?
Mohana van den Kroonenberg carefully builds an arc of suspense, sharing several telling descriptions of Kai, his aunty Fee and his parents. Kai’s rather haphazard arrival in the forest has strong undertones of Hansel and Gretel. You can’t help but feel you’ve landed in a very spooky fairy tale, made all the more compelling by Karst-Janneke Rogaar’s expressive illustrations.
Peer is part of the popular Tijgerlezen series for young readers
Thrilling and amazing
The story is enhanced by fantastic illustrations
Fairy tales don’t exist. Neither do gnomes. But they do if you believe in them. That, in a nutshell, is Peer’s message. Captivating in its ambiguity, Peer is a fantastic introduction to the power of fiction.
NRC
Peer is a tribute to the power of imagination and friendship, enhanced by Karst-Janneke Rogaar’s fabulously rustic illustrations. You can almost hear the leaves rustling in the forest of pen and brushstrokes.
JaapLeest.nl
