Linda Groeneveld writes and illustrates light-hearted fairy stories that are gentle parodies of the classics. Her books are a fun read for adults who are reading along with their children, and, of course, for children who are familiar with the genre of the fairytale, which is one of the few genres in which authors can make literary jokes that children will understand. Groeneveld does this with palpable pleasure. Her approach is a breath of fresh air, particularly for her young readers.

It helps that Groeneveld has chosen a subject that is close to children’s hearts: food. In her wonderfully entertaining Een pannenkoek voor de koningin (A Pancake for the Queen, Nieuw Amsterdam, 2007), she tells the story of Kobus the cook, who really, really wants to cook for the queen. And, after years of haute cuisine, the queen actually quite fancies a pancake. Groeneveld has a great talent for creating fun stories for children, without ever resorting to easy laughs. Her mockserious, slightly naive pen drawings bring the text to life.

Linda Groeneveld’s books are full of an infectious charm – her stories remain with the reader.