This hippo got awarded

My last book of poems, What to do when you trip over a hippo, a book that I made with the splendid illustrator Martijn van der Linden, got lucky this fall.

First of all it got two awards at the annual Dutch book prizes carroussel. It received both a Silver Slate (for the text) and a Silver Pencil (for the illustrations). As a result it's now among the books that are highlighted in all bookshops during the children's book week (beginning of October).

And another suprise: we recently heard the book has also been chosen as one of the international White Ravens for 2020! 

Thank you, dear juries! Oh, and publishers: the Dutch Literary Fund is promoting the book here. Some sample translations into English by David Colmer can be found here.

VOTE FOR THE OKAPI wins Estonian award

It's not that long ago since Vote for the okapi (in Dutch: Stem op de okapi) was published in Estonia. It was translated by Kerti Tergem and issued by the publishing house of Päike ja Pilv.

The book came out in The Netherlands in 2015 and was the result of illustrator Martijn van der Linden's and my love for this extraordinary animal, the okapi. And now Vali okaapi, as the book is called in Estonia, received the Paabeli Torna auhind 2018, or the Tower of Babel Honour Diploma, which is an award for the best translated book.

This is a very nice award, because only one book is chosen, and previous winners were for instance David Almond, Maria Parr and... J.K. Rowling.

So, congratulations to Martijn, to Kerti and to my Estonian publisher Katrin Reinmaa!

OKAPIS in Estonia

Just out: the Estonian translation of STEM OP DE OKAPI (VOTE FOR THE OKAPI), the book Martijn van der Linden and I illustrated and wrote, our passionate plea for silent and shy animals (and human beings). The book was originally published in Amsterdam by Querido.

Kerti Tergem made the translation, and Päike ja Pilv published it. We are very proud that this book is available in a second language now! VALI OKAAPI!

ESTONIA AND THE OKAPI

Last year our non-fiction book STEM OP DE OKAPI (VOTE FOR THE OKAPI) came out in Holland and now it travels to Estonia. The book was richely illustrated by the great Martijn van der Linden and contains a warm plea for this shy but majestic animal. There are many, many drawings, there are interviews, poems, historical parts, lyrical descriptions, there is an Okapi Museum - and Martijn and I received the Woutertje Pieterse Award (best book of the year, experts' choice) for it, as well as a Zilveren Griffel (for the text) and an Honorary Mention (for the illustrations).
Publishing house Päike ja Pilv will issue the book in Estonia. Before they did my two books about the dog Sam. As those two, VOTE FOR THE OKAPI will be translated by Kerti Tergem.
Rights for the book can be negotiated here, and translation grants can be requested here.

VOTE FOR THE OKAPI WON THE ZILVEREN GRIFFEL!

It's the best known children's books award in The Netherlands: the annual Zilveren Griffel (Silver Slate). Up to ten of these awards are given each year, in different categories, by a professional jury. One of these awards will be turned into a Golden one during the Children's book week in October.

This year my book STEM OP DE OKAPI (VOTE FOR THE OKAPI) won a Zilveren Griffel in the non-fiction-category. I am very grateful for that. Martijn van der Linden, the fantastic illustrator of this book, received a Vlag en Wimpel (Honorary mention) for the artwork.
The book was published by Querido in Amsterdam.

The book is promoted by the Dutch Literary Fund, so foreign publishers could apply for translation and production grants here.

For years the okapi has been my favourite animal. This animal that is shy and majestic at the same time, that was discovered only 100 years ago (in Congo), and that bears zebrastripes as well as horns - but actually its only familymember is the giraffe.
In this fullcolour book, that illustrator Martijn van der Linden and me have been working on for years, we present 88 reasons to take the okapi as your new preferred animal. The book has nine chapters, and each chapter is different. In the first one we describe the okapi from head to toe, in another one we follow an okapi-zookeeper for some (dramatic) years, there are chapters with just okapi-illustrations, there is one with 4 okapi-poems, there is the okapi museum, in which we collect okapi-pictures (made by many leading illustrators, especially for this book).
It's a book full of passion, it's a book that provides you with everything that there is to know about the okapi, it's funny and light, it's serious and informative, we hope we have convinced you at the end to keep an eye on the shy and majestic animals ánd people around us...

VOTE FOR THE OKAPI WON THE WP AWARD!

Last week my book STEM OP DE OKAPI, which translates as VOTE FOR THE OKAPI, got a very nice award: the prestigious Woutertje Pieterse Prijs, which is given to the best literary children's book of the year, chosen by a professional jury. The award is for both the text and the images, which were made by the amazing Martijn van der Linden. It was published in Holland by Querido.

The book is promoted by the Dutch Literary Fund, so foreign publishers could apply for translation and production grants here.

For years the okapi has been my favourite animal. This animal that is shy and majestic at the same time, that was discovered only 100 years ago (in Congo), and that bears zebrastripes as well as horns - but actually its only familymember is the giraffe.
In this fullcolour book, that illustrator Martijn van der Linden and me have been working on for years, we present 88 reasons to take the okapi as your new preferred animal. The book has nine chapters, and each chapter is different. In the first one we describe the okapi from head to toe, in another one we follow an okapi-zookeeper for some (dramatic) years, there are chapters with just okapi-illustrations, there is one with 4 okapi-poems, there is the okapi museum, in which we collect okapi-pictures (made by many leading illustrators, especially for this book).
It's a book full of passion, it's a book that provides you with everything that there is to know about the okapi, it's funny and light, it's serious and informative, we hope we have convinced you at the end to keep an eye on the shy and majestic animals ánd people around us...

THE OKAPI-BOOK IS OUT THERE!

The book in defense of the lovely okapi that I made with illustrator Martijn van der Linden is out now. We worked for years on this 160-page-non-fiction book, and it became a book through which we try to convince all of our readers that the should take the okapi to their new favourite animal. And in the book we provide the reader with 88 reasons for doing so. I'm really happy that we could work so long on this book and that our publishing house Querido let us do so, and let us make a book in full-colour and with a beautiful design. Thanks. We are really proud.