The Woutertje Pieterse Prize 2018, one of the most prestigious prizes for Dutch children’s and youth literature - worth 15.000 euro, has been awarded to Annet Schaap for her debut Lampje (‘Little Lamp’). The jury praised the beautiful use of language in the book and the sense of recognition it evokes.
Annet Schaap (b. 1965) is best known in the Netherlands as the illustrator of successful authors such as Francine Oomen, Jacques Vriens and Janneke Schotveld. After studying at two art schools, in Kampen and The Hague, she has illustrated around two hundred picture books since 1991. She has also studied creative writing and worked for a youth theatre as a poster maker and scriptwriter, with a dream of one day creating a book that she both illustrated and wrote. Her literary debut came as a complete surprise to most readers and was soon declared to be one of the best books of the year. The children’s literature critics unanimously praised Lampje, which has previously won the Nienke van Hichtum Prize as well.
German, French, English, Polish, and Slovenian translations of Lampje (10+) are in preparation.
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