GOTTMER
Children’s
Books
G
P O
G UB TT
R
M
O LI
E
U SH R
P
IN
G
SPRING 2016
FOREIGN RIGHTS
WHO WE ARE
Gottmer Publishing Group was established in 1938 by printer
Jan Hendrik Gottmer. More than 75 years later we have grown into
a dynamic, versatile and modern concern with a well-established
and distinguished publisher’s list.
WHAT WE DO
We publish a broad spectrum under a variety of imprints: • Gottmer – children’s and juvenile books
• Becht – cookery & crafts
• Altamira – body, mind & spirit
• Dominicus – travel guides
• Hollandia – nautical books
You may find a selection of our wide-ranging list on our website.
GOTTMER CHILDREN’S BOOKS
Melanie Lasance, publisher Gottmer Children’s Books
Marieke Spaans, commissioning editor picture books
Carine van Wijk, commissioning editor fiction & non-fiction
Janneke Blankevoort, commissioning editor fiction & non-fiction
CONTENTS
PICTURE BOOKS4
MUSIC BOOKS 16
READ ALOUD 18
CHILDREN’S FICTION
20
NON-FICTION 28
POETRY34
TEEN 36
When you see this icon, the book is also available as an app.
When you see this icon, the book is nominated or the book has won a prize.
picture books / series
picture books / series
Tummy Tom
Suzie Doozie
Meet Tummy Tom, the Netherlands’ favourite
mischievous tomcat, who loves to eat and spend
time with his cat friends. In this Rights Guide you
will find a selection from our versatile Tummy Tom
collection. Though creating your own Tummy Tom
books from the array of stories, both of differing
lengths, is also an option. Please do feel free to contact us for our special Tummy Tom-catalogue and
more information on (co-)production possibilities.
Over 5 million copies sold!
•The launch of a new picture book series by
a successful children’s book duo
•Text by popular Dutch children’s book
author and novelist Jaap Robben
•Funny and playful drawings by Flemish
illustrator Benjamin Leroy
Jet Boeke
Jaap Robben (txt) & Benjamin Leroy (ill.)
Meet Suzie Doozie, a quirky kid with an
endless amount of energy and quite a vivid
imagination. Her faithful dog Hound, her best
buddy, is often the victim of the zany games
she thinks up. A lively little girl who will steal
your heart!
Rights to Tummy Tom books have been sold
to China, Korea, Israel and Japan.
Cased board books
20 x 22 cm, 32 pages
Ages 3 and up | €12,95
Picture book
24.5 x 24.5 cm, 32 pages
Ages 3 and up | €9,95
Rights sold: Simplified Chinese
Summer Silliness
with Tummy Tom
Four brand new stories!
Tummy Tom takes a brisk
shower under the garden
hose, and a lot more summer
adventures follow. This is the
third book in the Tummy Tom
series all about the seasons.
Picture book
24.5 x 24.5 cm, 32 pages
Ages 3 and up | €9,95
Tummy Tom’s
Read-Along Book
A fun picture book designed
for reading aloud together,
with small pictures in-between the text for recognizing
and learning news words.
Contains 5 stories, alternated
with word playing games.
Picture book
24.5 x 24.5 cm, 32 pages
Ages 3 and up | €9,95
4
Tummy Tom
Cat Circus
Picture book containing one
long story about Tummy Tom
and his cat friends joining a
cat circus.
Ask for Tummy Tom’s other
‘one-story’ picture books!
Picture book
24.5 x 24.5 cm, 24 pages
Ages 3 and up | €9,95
Suzie Doozie and the Scissors
Suzie Doozie and the Funky Finger
Suzie finds a pair of scissors in a drawer. Well,
you could say it finds her! The pair of scissors
needs help because it has a hunger for cutting. But in no time, the pair of scissors is out
of control and cutting up a storm...
Suzie and Hound have a new game to play:
‘Try to guess the smell’. Suzie puts on the
blindfold and Hound let’s her smell all sorts of
delicious things. But when it’s Suzie’s turn, the
first thing Hound gets is a funky finger under
his nose... ‘Why, oh why, does my finger smell
so badly?’
5
picture books / series
picture books / series
Farmer Freddie
Winifred
•Highly successful series: over 100.000
copies sold!
•Fun rhyming text by 2016 HCA-Award
nominee Ted van Lieshout
•Cheerful, upbeat series about a stubborn
little mouse
•Simple rhyming text, cute and colourful
illustrations
•Recognizable situations: being bored, an
addition to the family, swimming lessons
Ted van Lieshout (txt)
& Philip Hopman (ill.)
Lida Dijkstra (txt) & Noëlle Smit (ill.)
Is there any child that wouldn’t want to be
Farmer Freddie? He has his own farm with
loads of animals and a nice red tractor he can
drive around on all day. This appealing little
farmer has quickly become the protagonist
of a popular series, with many fans and an
impressive number of prizes won.
Picture books
26 x 26 cm, 32 pages
Ages 3 and up | €13,95
Rights sold: Japan
Winifred Wants a Christmas Tree
Picture books
24 x 24 cm, 32 pages
Ages 3 and up | €12,95
In this special Christmas mini-edition (13.5 x 13.5 cm / 24
pages), Winifred finds the perfect Christmas tree in the forest.
But on her way home, she keeps giving branches of it to needy
animals and her tree gets thinner and thinner. Finally, not much
of her super-tree is left! Fortunately, unexpected help comes her
way.
Rights sold: Germany, Denmark and Russia
Farmer Freddie Easter Parade
A L S O AVAI L AB L E:
Farmer Freddie
F.F. in the Snow
F.F. Goes to Market
Winifred Wants
to Be a Parade
Winifred really wants to be
a parade, but mummy tells
her that she can’t be, all on
her own. Then Winifred takes
off on her scooter and show
mummy that she definitely
can be!
F.F. at the Seaside
F.F. Party Time
6
F.F. and the Lawn Mower
Winifred Does Not Want
a Baby Brother
Mummy has thrilling news
for Winifred. A little baby
is coming to live with them,
a brother or… ‘No brothers
allowed!’ Winifred shouts.
But Winifred forgets how
cute and adorable little
babies are!
7
Winifred
Is Not Going In
Winifred takes swimming lessons and is ready for the next
step: swimming in Pool Two.
Stubborn as she is, she refuses
to go in. But then something
happens that makes her decide
to dive into the water…
picture
picture
books
books
/ series
picture
picture
books
books
/ series
Little Captain Kidd
A Little Animal Mania
•Popular pirate-series
•Each picture book contains 5 stories
•Illustrated by internationally renowned
illustrator Sieb Posthuma
•H
eartwarming stories about a toddler’s
love for animals
• Perfect for very young children, with
little text and fresh pastel illustrations
Picture books
29.7 x 22.7 cm, 48 pages
Ages 4 and up | €14,95
Just like all toddlers, Mick a boy with
a shock of blond hair, is crazy about animals.
Baby goats, puppies, and even insects that
make his skin crawl… he ‘s fond of them all!
With its simple rhyming texts and adorable
illustrations, these books are certain to be
a hit with even the littlest kids.
Marjet Huiberts (txt) & Iris Deppe (ill.)
Marjet Huiberts (txt) & Sieb Posthuma (ill.)
Rights sold: China, Denmark, Sweden and Vietnam
Picture book
29 x 23 cm, 40 pages
Ages 3 and up | €13,95
Little Captain Kidd
Little Captain Kidd
Runs Into Dangers
Rights sold: Russia
A Pirate Party for
Little Captain Kidd
Sir Francis the Fearful
Marjet Huiberts (txt) & Philip Hopman (ill.)
•Endearing series about a not so brave knight
•Lovely, elaborate drawings of medieval scenes by
Philip Hopman
Picture books
26 x 26 cm, 56 pages
Ages 4 and up | €14,95
Sir Francis
Friends for Sir Francis
8
Sir Francis’ Horse to
the Rescue
Hello Sir,
Do You Have a Dog?
A New Kid
on the Farm!
Are You Coming to
My Party?
Mick is allowed to have a
pet and has his heart set on
a dog. Unfortunately the
local pet shop doesn’t sell
dogs, so when Mick finally
leaves the shop he doesn’t
have a dog on his leash, but
another animal that he’s
thrilled about.
There’s a new baby on the
children’s farm. But before
Mick finds the newborn
goat, he ends up visiting all
the farm’s animals, who each
express their happiness
about the birth of the new
kid in their own unique way.
Picture Book of the Year
2016
It’s Mick’s birthday and all
kinds of tiny creatures drop
by to celebrate with him:
from a ladybug in a polka-dot dress to a butterfly
who loves to drink coffee.
But also an angry wasp who
heads straight for the cake!
9
picture
picture
books
books
/ series
picture
picture
books
books
/ series
Whose ... Is That?
Good Knight /
Never Tickle a Crocodile
Joukje Akveld (txt) & various (ill.)
Bette Westera (txt)
& Thé Tjong-Khing (ill.)
• New preschool series based on the
question: who or what belongs here?
• The drawings for each part will be created
by a different well-known Dutch illustrator
•Fun new fairy tales with a wink
•Exciting themes: knights and robbers
•Humorous illustrations by
master-illustrator Thé Tjong-Khing
Eight seemingly simple brainteasers: but
thanks to the clever concept and splendid
interplay of images, this series is much more
than a collection of learning books. The drawings in each succeeding book are from the
hand of a different famous Dutch illustrator,
so very young readers are introduced to a
wide array of work.
Picture books
27.5 x 25 cm, 32 pages
Ages 4 and up | €13,95
‘Thé Tjong-Khing’s illustrations, with their
witty details, are remarkable. The quirky text
by Bette Westera could just as easily have been
written by Annie M.G. Schmidt or Roald Dahl.’
– Dutch Foundation For Literature
Good Knight
Never Tickle a Crocodile
Long ago, in the Middle Ages, all knights had
beards. Except for Knight Roderick... who was
never invited to slay dragons. But he knows a
better way to get to a fair lady’s heart!
A tough bandit gives his three children one
last piece of advice on his dying bed: whatever you do, never, ever tickle a crocodile! But
will they follow his advice?
Silver Pencil 2014
Vlag & Wimpel Silver Pencil 2015
Cased board books
17 x 17 cm, 34 pages
Ages 2 and up | € 8,95
Whose Hat is That?
Whose House Is That?
Left a top hat, right four characters: whose
hat is that? Once the choice is made, a funny
drawing in the next spread provides the
answer: of course it’s the snowman’s top hat!
Illustrated by international renowned illustrator Thé Tjong-Khing.
Who owns that castle, that igloo, that mushroom and that palace? All kinds of places
where people and animals live are illustrated
by the multi award-winning Annemarie van
Haeringen in a surprising way!
onorable Mention
H
Woutertje Pieterse-Prize 2014
Rights sold: Simplified Chinese,
Spanish (Colombia)
10
11
picture books
picture books
A Baby
in Mummy’s Belly
Babel
Arnoud Wierstra
Bette Westera (txt) & Jan Jutte (ill.)
• Wordless picture book based
on The Tower of Babel by Renaissance
artist Pieter Brueghel
• Very detailed, unparalleled depictions
– especially rendered for the eyes of
children
•Picture book about conception, pregnancy
and giving birth
•Unique: not prudish or overly-factual, but
cheerful and instructive
•By a Golden Pencil winner and a three-time
Golden Paintbrush winner
For thousands of years the Biblical tale of the
Tower of Babel has inspired writers, painters
and other artists. Some of the most famous
images of this tower were made by Pieter
Brueghel the Elder in 1563. These paintings,
in turn, inspired this magnificent picture
book—a story in no need of words.
Mummy is growing a baby in her belly and
Jessie has loads of questions. How did that
baby get there? What happens to all those
eggs and seeds that don’t turn into babies?
And, being born? How does that go exactly?
Bette Westera describes conception,
pregnancy and birth through the eyes of
four-year old Jessie. With illustrations by the
internationally renowned illustrator Jan Jutte,
this book is born to be a winner too!
Arnoud Wierstra spent years on this unique
picture book while meticulously studying
Brueghel’s work. All the details in the book’s
illustrations are drawn from Brueghel and
his contemporaries. Plunge into a world of
splendour time and time again!
Picture book
26 x 25 cm, 72 pages
Ages 4 and up | € 16,95
Picture book
24 x 35.5 cm, 40 pages
Ages 4 and up | € 16,95
Ape, Bear, Zebra
Bette Westera (txt)
& Henriette Boerendans (ill.)
By the same author:
With this lovely alphabet book children
will be able to recognize different letters and
animals. Also with extra information about
each animal, for instance: why are flamingos
pink and what does a bear do in the winter?
A Big Day Ahead
Picture book
21.5 x 26.5 cm, 64 pages
Ages 5 and up | €14,95
Rights sold: France
12
13
picture books / backlist h ighlights
The Very Best, Most Marvellous and Greatest
Grandfathers of the World
Jan Paul Schutten (txt) & Kees de Boer (ill.)
Dirk is staying with his grandfathers. They make him a bicycle
to ride to school on and boast about their own adventures on the
way to school in the good old days.
Picture book
21.5 x 28.5 cm, 32 pages, ages 5 and up | €9,95
picture books
picture
/ backlist
bookshighlights
Sleeping Beauties
Henriette Boerendans(txt & ill.)
Different animals have different sleeping habits. Some sleep
alone; some sleep together. One rests in a hammock, another in a
cosy hole in the ground. A wonderful book for looking at together,
over and over again, and then comfortably crawling under the
covers.
Picture book
24.5 x 24.5 cm, 40 pages, ages 4 and up | € 14,95
Archie and Grandpa
Rian Visser (txt) & Tineke Meirink (ill.)
Zero is a Strange Number
Henriette Boerendans (txt & ill.)
Archie is discovering the world around him and asks about
everything he sees. Fortunately, his very patient grandpa is
always willing to help Archie’s with his tough questions. Twelve
funny stories for reading-aloud.
Henriette Boerendans’ beautiful woodcut illustrations prove that
a simple counting book can be very special. In this book children
learn to count along with the number of animal babies that are born.
Picture book
14.5 x 17.5 cm, 32 pages, ages 3 and up | € 4,95
Picture book
20.5 x 26.5 cm, 32 pages, ages 3 and up | €14,95
Rights sold: Switzerland (German)
Vlag & Wimpel Silver Paintbrush 2014
IBBY Honour List 2014
Scram and Screwy
Nicole de Cock (txt & ill.)
Dawdle
Rian Visser (txt) & Noëlle Smit (ill.)
Dawdle loves dallying and dreaming. His mother constantly tells
him to hurry up, but then one day all his lingering helps him save
his friend!
Picture book
27 x 23 cm, 32 pages, ages 3 and up | €13,95
A lovely, moving book with but a few words necessary to tell
the story of the friendship between Scram the donkey and
Screwy the mouse. This book teaches the old saying: ‘Sometimes it is better to give than to receive’.
Picture book
22.5 x 22.5 cm, 32 pages, ages 3 and up | €13,95
Rights sold: Germany and Japan
Rights sold: Canada, Korea and China
Feodor Has Seven Sisters
Marjet Huiberts (txt) & Sieb Posthuma (ill.)
That One
Mirte Stut & Geurt van Donkelaar
A toddler’s first photo book, divided into 14 fun categories, such
as ‘that is dirty’, ‘that is thin’ and ‘that is round’. Perfect for children to learn how to refer to the world around them.
Board book with coloured edges
23.2 x 28.8 cm, 32 pages, ages 18 months and up | €14,95
14
Feodor has seven sisters. Seven big, fat, noisy sisters. And
being their younger brother isn’t always an easy job, but on
his birthday it’s a blast!
Picture book
29.7 x 22.7 cm, 48 pages, ages 3 and up | €14,95
Silver Paintbrush 2007
15
music books
music books
Classical Music for Kids
In this beautiful series, the stories and
illustrations combine perfectly with the
classical music of famous composers. Each
book is illustrated by a top-notch illustrator,
whose talent is recognized all over the world.
The music on the CDs is performed by the
world’s best orchestras and conducted by
equally famous conductors. Thus making
classical music accessible for children in a
magnificent way.
Swan Lake – Tchaikovsky
Illustrated by Noëlle Smit
Exhibitions of Paintings – Moussorgsky
Illustrated by Philip Hopman
Peter and the Wolf – Prokofiev
Illustrated by Sieb Posthuma
Cinderella – Prokofiev
Illustrated by Martijn van der Linden
The Firebird – Stravinsky
Illustrated by Annemarie van Haeringen
Carnaval of the Animals – Saint-Saëns
Illustrated by Thé Tjong-Khing
Peer Gynt – Grieg
Illustrated by Sylvia Weve
Sleeping Beauty – Tchaikovsky
Illustrated by Charlotte Dematons
The Nutcracker - Tchaikovsky
Illustrated by Harmen van Straaten
ALSO AVAILABLE:
Carmen - Bizet
Don Giovanni - Mozart
The Magic Flute - Mozart
Illustrated by Thé Tjong-Khing
Picture books with CD
23 x 23 cm, 32 pages,
Ages 5 and up | €16,95
16
If You See a Crocodile
Petra Koeleman (concept),
Ageeth de Haan (singing)
& Geertje Aalders (ill.)
•Picture book with CD containing 25 of
the most beloved English children’s songs
•Extraordinary and colourful paper-cut
illustrations
•Jazzy and cheerful – the best way to
learn English at a young age!
In this handy picture book with cd, children
can read and sing along to 25 of the most
popular English children’s songs, such as
Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Mary Had a Little
Lamb and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. A fun
way of getting to know and appreciate these
traditional rhymes, and for little non-native
English speakers the perfect way of getting
familiarized with the English language! The
songs on the CD are sung by the jazzy Dutch
singer Ageeth de Haan, well-known for her
children’s songs and performances.
Picture book with CD
14 x 14 cm, 64 pages
Ages 2 and up
For a sample of the songs,
scan this QR code
17
re a d a lou d
r ead alou d
Nibble Nibble Gnaw
Jackrabbit
Seven fun stories are included in this read-aloud
collection: all-time classics like Hansel and
Gretel and The Bremen Town Musicians, but also
lesser-known folk tales like The Monkey and the
Crocodile. The popular Dutch poet and humorist
Ivo the Wijs has retold these stories in rhyme.
The illustrations are by the Dutch illustrator and
animator Wouter Tulp.
•Funny, well-written collection of animal tales
•By the winners of the Woutertje Pieterse Prize 2014
•Great bedtime stories
Ivo de Wijs (txt) & Wouter Tulps (ill.)
Picture book with CD
26 x 26 cm, 48 pages
Ages 5 and up | € 16,95
A LS O AVA I LAB L E :
There Once Was a Prince
and He Wanted a Princess
The Storyteller’s
Most Wonderful Tales
Thé Tjong-Khing (txt & ill.)
•Gorgeous read aloud book with fairy tale classics
•Lavishly illustrated in full colour by Thé Tjong-Khing
•Thé’s greatest masterpiece as a storyteller and
illustrator
Widely acknowledged as a brilliant illustrator, Thé
Tjong-Khing has won many prestigious awards for
his work, including three Golden Slate Brushes, the
Woutertje Pieterse Prize (for best literary work for
children) and the Max Velthuijs Award for his complete works. With these fairy tale books, now Thé
has fulfilled one of his long-time desires: to make
these splendid stories accessible for small children.
Hardcover with bookmarker ribbon
19.5 x 23.5 cm, 296 pages
Ages 4 and up | €24,95
18
Bette Westera (txt) & Sylvia Weve (ill.)
Jack Rabbit is happy to spend the day playing wild
games with the other forest animals. Tag for example,
or racing to see who can run the fastest. But there
are also times when everybody is too busy to play:
Blackbird has to build a nest, Heron wants to catch a
fish. Only Snail has time – but playing tag with Snail
is a bit boring... A cheerful collection of read aloud
stories from award-winning author Bette Westera and
illustrator Sylvia Weve.
Hardcover, full-colour illustrations
17 x 17 cm, 64 pages
Ages 6 and up | €16,95
Lessons in Laughing & Farting
Sunna Borghuis (txt) & Harmen van Straaten (ill.)
•Big read-aloud book about the ‘Gang of Four’
•30 amusing stories fully in line with modern
family life
•Lots of comical full-colour drawings
accompanying the text
A great big read-aloud book chockfull of stories
about the ‘Gang of Four’: the twins Maya and Jude,
their younger brother Chase and their nutty father.
Chase has to give a talk at school, but he’s having
trouble coming up with a good topic. But then his
dad gets one of his ingenious ideas: isn’t passing gas
as good a topic as any?
Hardcover, full-colour illustrations
25.3 x 23.7 cm, 192 pages
Ages 4 and up | €17,95
19
c hil d re n’s f ictio n / se r i e s
chi l dr en ’s f i cti o n / ser i es
Blitz!
Stories from
the Witches Den
Rian Visser (txt) & Lars Deltrap (ill.)
Femke Dekker (txt)
& Marieke Nelissen (ill.)
•Fun series for beginning readers
•Lovable main character, exciting
outer-space theme
•Printed in a special typeface designed
for dyslexic readers
•Humorous series about witches
•Exciting tales, simple story lines, hours
of reading pleasure
Hardcover, full-colour illustrations
14.5 x 25.5 cm, 152 pages
Ages 7 and up | €12,95
The witches den is a scary house with creaking stairs and squeaking doors, where weird
things always happen. That’s no surprise,
given its four residents – Sybil, Lidwien, Stella
and Luna – are not only witches, but nuttier
than fruitcakes!
Both Femke Dekker and Marieke Nelissen
have written many educational books for
children. Stories from the Witches Den is their
first collaboration. The contagious humour
conveyed by the mix of their words and
images helps children discover the magic of
reading.
Hardcover, full-colour illustrations
14.5 x 22.5 cm, 96 pages
Ages 7 and up | €9,95
Blitz!
Blitz is a small green alien
living all alone on Planet
0. He doesn’t mind being
by himself, until a tiny bird
lands on his planet. They
become fast friends, but
then the bird decides to
return to Earth. Blitz misses
him so much he builds a
rocket ship and flies to earth
to find a new friend. But will
he ever find someone like
his little friend again?
Blitz! On Planet 10
In the second book in the
series, a strange creature
lands on Blitz’s planet, Planet
0. His UFO is broken and
he needs to find a way back
to his own planet. Blitz tries
come up with a plan to help
him, but this is no simple
task!
20
Blitz! Space Junk
Blitz and his bird Petey are
having a boring lazy day
on Planet Zero. Suddenly a
whole lot of junk goes floating by. When Petey spots
an object that looks like a
whole lot of fun he can’t help
himself : he lands on it and
drifts further and further
away... Until he’s lost in
space. Help! How will Blitz
manage without Petey?
Book 1: A Witch’s Tail
Book 2: Bubble Trouble
In this first part Sybil brews a soup that’s a
bit too spicy, so things go differently than
planned. What’s a witch supposed to do with a
cat’s head and tail?
Part 2 is all about spacey Luna, who cooks up
a cauldron of a very magical, bubbly brew.
Luna floats spellbound through the house and
stumbles across lots of peculiar things!
21
c hil d re n’s f ictio n / se r i e s
SHORTLIST
HCAA
2014
&
2016
chi l dr en ’s f i cti o n / ser i es
The Ted van
Lieshout Library
Tim and the
Ninja Babysitter
Ted van Lieshout (txt) & Sylvia Weve (ill.)
Lisa Boersen (txt) & Edwin Rhemrev (ill.)
Ted van Lieshout has won just about every
award available to children’s books authors.
This year he is nominated for the Hans
Christian Award for the second time, the jury
praising his outstanding multi-faceted oeuvre,
the perfect dialogue between word and image
and his original and expressive writing style.
The stories in this series are accompanied by
beautiful and funny illustrations by Golden
Paintbrush-winner Sylvia Weve.
•Funny new series for 8+ by award-winning
author Lisa Boersen
•Appealing theme: a ninja as a babysitter!
•Hip illustrations by the talented illustrator
and animator Edwin Rhemrev
Tim’s mother is a flight attendant and spends
lots of time travelling. Grandma usually
babysits, but she’s in the hospital with a broken hip. It seems like Tim is going to be stuck
with their stern neighbour for a week. Luckily
grandma has a better idea: an au pair. And as
it so happens, the agency has one available
immediately! But it’s soon clear that Yushi is
no ordinary babysitter…
Hardcover, full-colour illustrations
14.5 x 22.5 cm, ca. 60 pages
Ages 6 and up | €10,95
Rights sold: Turkey
Hardcover, black-and-white illustrations
13.5 x 21 cm, 176 pages
Ages 8 and up | € 13,95
By the same author:
Hotel Time Out & The Voice Slurper
Noisebox
Mike Has a Secret
The Sweetest Boy in the World
Dotty and Her Lemonade Mother
Noisebox is a very loud girl. Her mother thinks
she needs to turn down the volume, but
Noisebox is determined to be heard!
Mike is an introspective boy who tends to take
the word of grown-ups too literally – with all its
consequences.
Dotty refuses to take a bath. But when she finally
does get cleaned up, she shrinks and disappears
down the drain pipe!
Grown-ups think Thyme is the sweetest boy
in the world. But is he really?
I Am a Hero
I Am a Magician
An adventurous book about a son and his father,
with the son ultimately being the far more heroic
of the two.
The second book about the same son and father.
This time the son inherits a magic box used to
saw people in half…
Vlag & Wimpel Silver Pencil 1991
22
23
c hild re n’s f ictio n
chi l dr en ’s f i cti o n
Ziggy and Giga
Under Attack!
Tell My Teacher
I’ll Be Late
Oirik (txt & ill.)
Bette Westera (txt)
& Joanne Lew-Vriethoff (ill.)
•Witty story about the friendship
between a boy and an alien
•Dynamically illustrated: lots of
action and laughs!
•Fine book, also for reading-aloud, by
Golden Pencil winner Bette Westera
•About family, friendship, free will and
asserting one’s independence
•Illustrated by the highly in-demand American illustrator Joanne Lew-Vriethoff
When Ziggy befriends Giga, a super-cool
creature from outer space, his life changes
overnight. At first he manages to hide him
in his tree house, but before long Giga is
discovered. And that’s not even the biggest
problem... An exciting adventure – filled with
aliens, laser guns, chickens (both alive and
roasted), and some seriously slimy stuff – is
the outcome!
Sander always does what his father and
mother say. Then one day, after driving on the
French motorway for hours, Sander is having
so much fun on a bouncy castle at a rest stop,
he doesn’t feel like listening to his parents
anymore. But when he finishes jumping and
returns to the car, it’s not there anymore.
Mum and Dad have left him behind! Sander
decides to hitch a ride with a lorry driver and
that’s the beginning of a fantastic adventure.
Oirik (pen name of Erik Nieuwenhuis) has
worked as a graphic designer on various
promotional campaigns, usually focused on
youth, culture, education and the promotion
of reading. Ziggy and Giga Under Attack! is
his first children’s book.
Hardcover, full-colour illustrations
15 x 23 cm, 96 pages
Ages 6 and up | 13,95
Hardcover, black-and-white illustrations
13 x 19 cm, 152 pages
Ages 8 and up | €12,95
By the same author:
A Bizarre Party
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25
c hild re n’s f ictio n
chi l dr en ’s f i cti o n
The Black Egg /
The Red Egg
Han van der Vegt (txt)
& Loes Riphagen (ill.)
Three sisters – Sam, Sis and Lot – lose both
their home and parents in a single blow,
through the bungling of a local politician.
The shady mayor finds them a comfy new
home, a big red egg, which turns our to be a
spaceship! In the second book in the series,
the sisters start offering guided tours of the
moon. But they are sabotaged by competing
twin brothers, who turn up with a giant black
egg of their own…
Hardcover, black-and-white illustrations
13.5 x 21 cm, 208 / 238 pages
Ages 9 and up | €14,95
Flemish Children’s Jury Prize 2012
Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll (txt) & Floor Rieder (ill.)
•Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
and Through the Looking-Glass
combined in 1 luxurious edition
•Mesmerizingly illustrated by
The Mystery’s of Life’s Floor Rieder
Dutch Children’s Jury Selection 2015
Some More Tea, Elephant?
Linda Groeneveld (txt & ill.)
A little princess is longing for a puppy. Then to everybody’s big
amazement not a dog, but an elephant is delivered to her on the
palace steps. But elephants don’t behave like puppies…
Last year the world celebrated the 150th
anniversary of Lewis Carroll’s deeply beloved
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Gottmer
too commemorated this joyous occasion
by publishing a very special new edition of
this classic book and its sequel, Through the
Looking-Glass, with brand-new illustrations
by Floor Rieder – well known for her magnificent work on the award winning non-fiction
book The Mystery of Life. With her distinctive,
elaborate and contemporary drawings, Rieder
successfully creates a witty and timeless Alice
you fall in love with instantly.
Most Beautiful Dutch Book Cover 2014
Best Dutch Book Design 2014
IBBY Honour List 2016
Hardcover, black-and-white illustrations
14.5 x 22.5 cm, 160 pages
Ages 7 and up | €14,95
Rights sold: Germany and France
Hardcover, full-colour illustrations
15 x 19 cm, 384 pages
Ages 6 and up | €24,95
The Ice-Cream Factory
Linda Groeneveld (txt & ill.)
Beachcomber Andrei Zozokof makes such a success of selling
ice-cream that his business expands until he has a chain of
factories all over the world. Everyone is full of admiration for his
amazing career – everyone, that is, except for his daughter.
Hardcover, black-and-white illustrations
15.5 x 23 cm, 101 pages
Ages 7 and up | €12,95
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Rights sold: Germany
‘Rieder’s illustrations are of an impressive
combination of qualities. They are elegant,
funny, refreshing, and informative – all
together a rare combination in children’s book
illustrations.’
- jury report golden paintbrush 2014
27
no n- f i ct i o n
non-fi cti on
My Little
Treasure Books
Lottaland
• Lovely designed books for collecting
leaves, feathers and flowers
• ‘Sharing nature’ is more important
and fascinating than ever before
• Educational, activating and inspiring
– the perfect gift!
Cobras Far and
Vipers Near
As children discover nature, they are full
of wonder. Each and every feather, flower
and leaf is special to them. Nature’s shapes,
colours and textures… everything is magical
and beautiful.
And once they have laid their hands on this
magic, they want to take it home. They want
to save their treasures and admire them.
Geert-Jan Roebers (txt) & Wendy Panders (ill.)
• All the rage: beautifully made non-fiction book
• Wildlife far away versus wildlife in Western
Europe
• Playful mix of photos and illustrations
by Wendy Panders
Many people find Western Europe’s nature tame,
even boring. This book shows that you don’t have
to travel all the way to Africa or the North Pole
to find amazing animals. Just look at the nature
around you with different eyes and you’ll discover
tigers, penguins, and chameleons in your own
backyard! Well, okay… they look different, but
they’re just as remarkable.
My Little Treasure Books help to discover and
treasure nature in an inspiring and educational way. Each title consists two books:
one in which all treasures can be saved and
another full of educational facts and craft
ideas, combined in one luxurious bind-up.
A precious gift for all nature collection fans
from the age of four!
Two hardcover books in one bind-up
(per title), full-colour illustrations
17.5 x 26 cm, 24 pages per book
Ages 4 and up | € 14,95
Biologist Geert-Jan Roebers, who has authored
many beautiful (children’s) books, proves that
nature close to home is just as wild as the spectacular nature we see on television. The award-winning
illustrator Wendy Panders is known for her special
mix of photos and illustrations, a style that is perfect for this book!
Hardcover, full-colour illustrations
23 x 23 cm, 128 pages
Ages 8 and up | € 14,95
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no n- f i ct i o n
non-fi cti on
‘A brilliant book, in every way.’
– jury report golden pencil 2014
‘The ultimate non-fiction book for children.’
– dutch foundation for literature
The Mystery of Life
The Marvel of You
•Outstanding non-fiction book on life
and evolution
•Gorgeous, intricate drawings to illustrate
the humorous and light-hearted texts
•Acclaimed by critics, loved by children
•The successor of the acclaimed Het raadsel
van alles wat leeft (The Mystery of Life)
•Theme: the human body
•Fits perfectly with the trend of high-quality
non-fiction for kids
In this splendid book, successful Dutch author
Jan Paul Schutten shares what he’s discovered about life’s mysteries and evolution.
What is ‘life’ exactly? How did it come to
exist? Why do all living things die? These
are just some of the big questions Schutten
lucidly addresses in his book, assisted by
Floor Rieder’s fantastic illustrations – which
sometimes clarify and sometimes add humour
to the text.
After the novel The Mystery of Life, which
extensively explores evolution, there is now
The Marvel of You, which examines the
human body. It describes what a cell looks
like on the inside: that a normal cell is even
more spectacular than the Star Wars’ Death
Star. It explains how to tell if someone is
in love with you, why you get angry more
quickly when it’s warm outside, and why
chewing gum makes you smart. All of this –
and much, much, more...
Jan Paul Schutten (txt) & Floor Rieder (ill.)
Jan Paul Schutten (txt) & Floor Rieder (ill.)
B
est Dutch Book Design 2013
The Marvel of You contains an amazing
amount of information and is written in
the same humorous tone as the author’s
first book. And of course this fun book also
features the splendid illustrations of Golden
Paintbrush winner Floor Rieder.
N
ienke van Hichtum-prize 2013
(best children’s book ages 13 and up)
Golden Tulip 2014 (best non-fiction book)
Golden Pencil 2014
Th e
s
014
Hardcover, full-colour illustrations
19.5 x 22.5 cm, 160 pages
Ages 10 and up | €24,95
I n t er na
tio
al
n
Hardcover
19.5 x 25.5 cm, 160 pages
Ages 10 and up | €24,95
W hite Rav
en
l2
Golden Paintbrush 2014
eJ
ugen
db i bl i o
t he
k
Rights sold: Germany, Norwegian,
Simplified Chinese and French
Rights sold: English World, German, Polish,
French, Norwegian, Russian, Simplified Chinese,
Traditional Chinese and Spanish World
30
31
no n- f i ct i o n
non-fi cti on
From Big Bang
to Robot
Everything Has a Beginning
Marc ter Horst (txt) & Eliane Gerrits (ill.)
•Accessible non-fiction book about the
origins of all kind of things
•No less than 38 beginnings, such as the
universe, language... and you!
•Perfect for inquisitive kids, especially
those who never stop asking questions
Where does language come from? How was
the first robot invented? Who came up with
clothing? Children want to know everything
and at times they embarrass their parents
with their relentless questions. Featuring one
‘beginning’ per double-page spread, From Big
Bang to Robot is the perfect book for children
with a healthy thirst for knowledge: lots of
wonderful information about lots of wonderful
topics.
Hey There, Earth
Dweller!
Dive Into The World Under Your Feet
Marc ter Horst (txt) & Wendy Panders (ill.)
•Non-fiction book about planet earth
•Explicit and fun to read info on mountains,
volcanoes, oceans, climate change, etc.
•With a mix of funny and informative
illustrations and photographs
Marc ter Horst, who has proven with his
successful Hé aardbewoner! (Hey There, Earth
Dweller!) that he’s not afraid of tackling difficult topics, explains the origin of all kinds of
things in clear language, whether he’s talking
about the universe or the first pets. The funny
illustrations by Eliane Gerrits perfectly compliment the book’s playful atmosphere.
This book informs the reader in a very original and clear way about the planet we live on.
What are those squids doing way up in the
mountains? Why is everybody worried about
climate change? What do volcanoes actually
have to do with the kitchen counter? Author
Marc ter Horst takes us voyage of discovery
from the centre of the earth to the top of the
atmosphere, from the rain forests at the equator to the snow plains at the poles, and from
earth’s origins to its inescapable demise.
Hardcover, full-colour illustrations
23 x 23 cm, 92 pages
Ages 8 and up | €14,95
Hardcover, full-colour illustrations
23 x 23 cm, 128 pages
Ages 8 and up | €17,95
Rights sold: Germany, France, Russia
and Korea
32
33
poetry / backl i st hi ghl i ghts
p o e try
Step Aside, I Am Not Your Grandmother!
Bette Westera (txt) & Sylvia Weve (ill.)
A book of narrative poems about fifteen elderly people, who –
and children tend to forget this – were once young as well and
have a lifetime of experience behind them. This book is exceptional in its kind: it is the first book for children that focuses on
elderly people, but not in the typical grandparent role.
Golden Paintbrush 2013
Wire-O with flaps, full-colour illustrations
23 x 29 cm, 60 pages
Ages 7 and up | €19,95
Dead Normal
Bette Westera (txt) & Sylvia Weve (ill.)
•Exceptional poetry book on death and
all that relates to it
•Simple but insightful text – funny and
moving all at once
•Unique book design: several pages
varying in width for extraordinary
composition effect
•Named one of the best Dutch books of
2014 by 5 literary critics
Best Dutch Book Design 2014
There’s one central theme in this magnificent
new read-aloud poetry book: death. Together
the author and illustrator tackle this subject,
which not only children find difficult to comprehend. How badly you can miss someone
who is no longer around? Why do young
people die as well? Where does someone go
after they’ve died? All of this and much more
is covered. But most of all, Westera’s narrative
poems and Weve’s beautiful illustrations convey in simple terms that ‘death is but another
part of life’.
Woutertje Pieterse Prize 2015
Golden Pencil 2015
IBBY Honour List 2016
‘Westera’s poetry reads incredibly smoothly.
It is socially aware, clever, touching, funny
and often even more linguistic than Annie
M.G. Schmidt’s. (...) Golden Paintbrush winner
Sylvia Weve surpasses herself with her
gorgeous illustrations.’
- de volkskrant
Hardcover, full-colour illustrations
26 x 23 cm, 112 pages
Ages 9 and up | €25,95
Rights sold: Germany
34
Floating on a Cloud
Bette Westera (txt) & Sylvia Weve (ill.)
A beautifully designed book with 47 animal stories set to rhyme
and decorated with colourful illustrations. The stories are a
humorous mix of biology and language, with enough depth to
suit both children and adults.
Hardcover with ribbon bookmarker
Full-colour illustrations
20.5 x 32.5 cm, 100 pages
Ages 8 and up | €22,95
High in a Blossoming Linden Tree,
a Podgy Rooster Sat
Maria van Donkelaar/Martine van Rooijen (txt)
& Sieb Posthuma (ill.)
Maria van Donkelaar and Martine van Rooijen collected 75 of
the most beautiful animal fables from around the world and
made their own rhyming versions. Sieb Posthuma’s illustrations
portray the human characteristics of animals in a sublime and
humorous way. The result is a splendid book for reading aloud.
Golden Paintbrush 2009
Hardcover, full-colour illustrations
20.5 x 32.5 cm, 160 pages
Ages 6 and up | €19,95
35
teen
teen
Hangover
Cotton Candy
•Exciting YA thriller about a party with disastrous results
•Compelling chicklit, dark and edgy
•Gripping story about a family in trouble
•Father’s struggle with PTSD; daughter’s determination
to keep up her spirits
Margje Woodrow
Derk Visser
When the family she regularly baby-sits for goes on
holiday, sixteen year old Teddy looks after their place for
two weeks. Her hockey club friend Chloe convinces her
to throw a big party. The next day, dreadful news reaches
the hungover teens: Chloe’s lifeless body has been
found. Who was out to get Chloe, and why? It gradually
becomes clear that the hockey friends can’t trust anyone
– not even each other.
Hardcover
13.5 x 21 cm, 208 pages, ages 13 and up | €12,95
Ezra thought it would be great. Her father was going to
earn a lot more money in the war and then they would
move to a house with a big garden. But that dream is shortlived. When her father returns home, he can no longer
handle life. But Ezra isn’t going to give up just like that.
With a surprisingly admirable resilience she makes her
way in the world, but of course her biggest wish is that
everything goes back to the way it was...
Hardcover
13.5 x 20.5 cm, 128 pages, ages 10 and up | €13,95
Hit Hard
Margje Woodrow
Blossom
Derk Visser
When Jessie gets hit by a train after a night out, it seems like
she wanted to commit suicide. Her best friend Sam simply can’t
imagine Jessie would do such a thing – even when Jessie herself
admits to it. What do you do when nobody believes you?
Whether at school or at home, Blossom is never shy about
expressing her opinions. She does everything she can to get her
divorced parents back together. And when she finds out she has
a brain tumour, Blossom doesn’t give up.
Hardcover
13.5 x 21 cm, 208 pages
Ages 13 and up | €12,95
Shortlist Crimezone Best YA
Thriller of the Year 2014
Hardcover
13.5 x 20.5 cm, 160 pages
Ages 10 and up | €13,95
Exam Scam
Margje Woodrow
Barbed Wire
Derk Visser
Kiki gets caught up in a lively stolen exam scam at her school.
But when her best friend and her boyfriend end up being victimized, Kiki decides it’s time for the fraud to be exposed
Pearl lives in a normal neighbourhood in a big city, but other
than that, there isn’t much ‘normality’ in her life. Her father’s
pub is on the verge of bankruptcy and her older sister is always
depressed. Yet, they still find a way to love and support each
other... but then a dramatic event threatens to change all that.
Paperback
13.5 x 20.5 cm, 152 pages
Ages 13 and up | €12,95
36
‘Once you start reading, you can’t
put Margje Woodrow’s books down.’
- THEBOOKGIRL.NL
Hardcover
13.5 x 21 cm, 208 pages
Ages 14 and up | €13,95
37
‘You can’t get enough of Visser’s
dialogue... Read the guy.’
– DE VOLKSKRANT
te e n / bac k li st h i g h tlight s
Brothers
Ted van Lieshout
•20 years in print!
•Author is shortlisted for the Hans Christian Andersen
Award 2016
This modern classic is a semi-autobiographical story
about losing a brother. Lucas finds an old diary that
belonged to his brother and begins reading it. The diary
confronts Lucas with himself. How is it that Lucas’
brother knew things about him before he even knew
them about himself?!
Hardcover
14.5 x 22.5 cm, 160 pages
Ages 14 and up | €14,95
Rights sold: English World, Norwegian, Italian
Blue
Liesbeth Mende
•Touching story about the pain and will-power
of a teenager struggling with OCD
•Striking blue edged book design
When her mother is distracted by her new lover and her
best friend Tanya gets a boyfriend as well, no one close
to her seems to care about 13-year-old Nikki any more.
In an attempt to take control over her life again, Nikki’s
behaviour is more and more determined by compulsory
thoughts and obsessions. She’s certain, for instance,
that sheand her geography teacher are meant for each
other. And that as long as she wears only blueclothing,
everything will be O.K.
Paperback
13.5 x 21 cm, 160 pages
Ages 12 and up | €13,95
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Ingrid van der Mooren, Foreign Rights Manager
[email protected]
Phone +31 (0) 23 54 116 09
GOTTMER PUBLISHING GROUP
Postal adress: P.O. Box 317, NL 2000 AH Haarlem, The Netherlands
Visiting adress: Zijlweg 308, 2015 CN Haarlem, The Netherlands
39
GOTTMER PUBLISHING GROUP
Phone+31 (0) 23 51 111 90
Fax +31 (0) 23 51 744 04
www.gottmer.nl