Christine Namdar asked if she can use my picture of Willem Witgat in a lecture she gave to a commission of the EU parlement in Brussels.
Previously, she also used it in a speech for the Finnish Ministry of Internal Affairs.
I don’t think Willem Witgat ever imagined he would travel so far across the world!
The book can be bought at Takealot following the link below:
or at: Fontein Uitgewery: 1249 Starkey Ave, Waverley, Pretoria, 0186 Phone: 082 938 0775 marlize@fonteinuitgewery.co.za
What a good feeling of holding your printed book in your hands for the first time! Last year I took part in a children book writing contest and I got a first price for my book “Willem die Witgatboom” in the 4-6 year category. Part of the prize was the publication of the book. I made the illustrations myself and the book was launched last week Thursday during a beautiful event.
The main character in the book is Willem Witgat, a shepherd tree from the Kalahari.. Willem Witgat’s roots are very deep. He means a lot to the people and animals of the Kalahari, but then danger threatens…
In the book the children can discover the wonderful properties of the Shepherd tree: It’s cool shadow, medicinal uses, the fact that it’s roots can be used as a substitute for coffee and a lot more.
Look below at a preview:
The book can be bought at Takealot following the link below:
https://www.takealot.com/willem-die-witgatboom/PLID91973712?fbclid=IwAR2S0ci9OQfCZw11GooVVS0D4RbmQ7Ek4Z5FJehd1nAPDSHt3H3zpEF7LpM
or at: Fontein Uitgewery: 1249 Starkey Ave, Waverley, Pretoria, 0186 Phone: 082 938 0775 marlize@fonteinuitgewery.co.za
My niece with her interpretation of “Willem Witgat”.
Lately I have been working on illustrations for my picture book about a Shepherd tree. The story won a prize and will be published one or these days. I can’t wait to hold the hard copy in my hands!
I was asked to give a talk at a school about writing and illustrating a children’s book. I enjoyed the enthusiasm of the kids and hear about some of them dreaming of becoming a writer one day.
I was asked to paint a portrait of someone’s beloved grandfather. As they had only one faded photo of him, I was afraid that I would struggle a lot to get a good likeness. Instead, we decided to make a page with memories of him. I love the books of the Dutch artist Rien Poortvliet and used his style as inspiration.
As a kid, I used to write and draw books and dream of becoming a writer. Here is a page from a book I tried to write when I was in standard 1. At that time I loved to read Dutch books and thought that if one really wanted to write a good book it should be in Dutch. Funny to see how I tried to imitate my teacher’s handwriting with her characteristic “g’s”.
Over the years, this dream has been somewhat forgotten, until it came to me again after the passing of my illustrator brother, Alex van Houwelingen. I was asked to illustrate some books in his place. I really enjoyed the illustrations, in fact, it ignited again an old dream to both write and illustrate a children’s book. Yet to find a publisher, is a different story.
When I came across the competition “Ken jou Storie” https://www.kenjoustorie.co.za/ , I realised that perhaps this might be my chance, because in addition to the prize money, the goal is that the winner’s book will also be published. After writing and rewriting my story multiple times, testing it on my little cousins and reading it aloud to my family (you can trust teenagers for giving honest comments), I had a manuscript.
Well, last Friday my childhood dream became true. What an unexpected surprise! My story “Willem die Witgatboom” won the competition for the 4 – 6 year category. I cannot wait to start illustrating …
Jenny Boon 