WRITERS4KIDS | 80K Page Views–Top Posts

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Writers4Kids in May passed 80,000 page views. 

This blog is sponsored by Boissevain Books.

Thank you for reading. The most-read posts during April 2016 were:

BIRTHDAYS | April 2016 Feb 24, 2016

BIRTH | Feb. 7–Laura Ingalls Wilder (Comments) Jan 14, 2015

BIRTH | April 12–Beverly Cleary (100 Years Old Tod... Apr 10, 2016

HOLLAND | Keukenhof Windmill Apr 20, 2016

DEATH | Mar. 28–Peggy Fortnum (Paddington) Apr 10, 2016

BIRTHDAYS | May 2016 Apr 1, 2016

BIRTH | Jan. 18–A. A. Milne (Comment) Jan 4, 2015

DEATH | Ann McGovern (Stone Soup) Aug. 8, 2015 - Aug 12, 2015

BIRTH | Feb. 7–Laura Ingalls Wilder (Comment by Ol... Feb 5, 2013

NEW BOOK | Princess Josephine and the Rainbow Drag... Nov 18, 2015

NEW EDITION | The Borrowed House

Coming soon: A new edition of The 
Borrowed House by the Purple House
Press, using the original HvS cover
art, © by the HvS Estate.  

The Estate of Hilda van Stockum has just signed a contract with Purple House Press of Cynthiana, Ky. to publish a new edition of The Borrowed House.

Third Publisher in English

Purple House Press will be the third publisher of the book, in addition to the Dutch translation, under the title Het Gestolen Huis ("The Stolen House"). The first two publishers were:

Farrar Straus (1975), which kept the book in print until the 1990s. Publication rights then reverted to the author.  

Bethlehem Books (2000), which reprinted the book with a new cover. In 2006 the author died and all publication rights passed to the author's estate. In 2016 the English-language rights reverted to the Estate.

The Borrowed House is an urban equivalent, based in Amsterdam, to The Winged Watchman (Farrar, 1962) which is based in a rural Dutch community and is kept in print by Bethlehem Books. The reprint edition published by Bethlehem Books has sold more than 50,000 copies and has been optioned for television rights.

Purple House Press was founded by Jill Morgan. The publisher focuses on classic books and has produced hundreds of titles over several years.

The Press has scanned the original painting by the author of the book, Hilda van Stockum (my late mother), and plans to use it for the cover of their edition of The Borrowed House.

Where in Amsterdam Does the Cover Show?

The original HvS cover art shows an Amsterdam scene with German Army (Wehrmacht) soldiers marching along a canal.

I am trying to find out what canal houses are shown. Is it the Herengracht or Keizersgracht, or the Prinsengracht?

Painting of canal houses by Hilda van Stockum. Which canal is it on? Herengracht? Keizersgracht?
The steeple looks like that of the Oude Kerk, but that is distant from the canals. Painting © by the
Estate of Hilda van Stockum, reproduced here by permission of the Estate.

One clue is that the scene is located near a cross-canal point, as indicated by the back cover. The double-width building at the end is also a good clue because it appears to be a bank. It has a star at the top.

In the background is a grey church steeple, rising above the red-brick buildings that hide the main part of the church.

The steeple looks like that of the Oude Kerk, the oldest church in Amsterdam, but that is quite a way from the canal houses... Still puzzling.

Other Boissevain Books News:
Boissevain Books represented at book fair in East Hampton, N.Y.

BOOK FAIR | Selling Books, East Hampton, N.Y.

John Tepper Marlin (seated, L) of Boissevain Books tells the premise
of Princess Josephine and the Rainbow Dragon, its first new 2016
 book. Bill Henderson (seated, R) of Pushcart Press readies his pitch.

May 21, 2016–Boissevain Books partnered with Pushcart Press to staff a table at a Springs Community Presbyterian Church fair.

The books were arrayed based on the age groups to which they are targeted, from youngest to oldest:

• At far left, books for youngest children (e.g., Pamela Walks the Dog, Little Old Bear, Patsy and the Pup).
• Next, books for somewhat older children (Princess Josephine and the Rainbow Dragon, Andries, King Oberon's Forest).
• Then young adult books  (e.g., Penengro, The Borrowed House).
• Finally, books for adults (e.g., Time Bomber, The Box House, A Meaning for Danny).

The books-for-sale table was the only one at the fair, which was primarily made up of sellers of second-hand items.

The advantage of being a unique part of such a fair is that there was no other competition from book sellers. The disadvantage is that buyers were self-selected to be looking for second-hand items, and were not always in the frame of mind to buy a book.

It was a useful experiment. Both of us sold a decent number of books, but I think Bill and I are disposed to looking next time to join a fair that is explicitly identified as a book fair.

Other Boissevain Books news:
The Borrowed House will be coming out soon in a new edition.

NEW BOOK! | Princess Josephine and the Rainbow Dragon!

Princess Josephine and the Rainbow Dragon is written by Kate
Bodsworth and is illustrated by Brigid Marlin. Just published
by Boissevain Books.

I am so proud that Boissevain Books has published Princess Josephine and the Rainbow Dragon.

It was written by Kate Bodsworth and was illustrated by Brigid Marlin, my sister.

 The dragon, you can see, is as evil as my sister's kind heart could make him.

The version of the dragon on the back cover is even more evil.

BUT... in the other corner, Ladies and Gentlemen... is Princess Josephine. If you think she is no match for the Rainbow Dragon, you should think again.

Princess Josephine is annoyed – even angry, although she is slow to get worked up about anything – because the Rainbow Dragon is sucking all the colors out of her Kingdom. Compared with the Rainbow Dragon, she is tiny, even though she is tall and strong for her age.

She doesn't have the teeth, claws, tail, heft and fire that are included in the Dragon Package.

But she has other things:

• She doesn't panic easily, which is good because if she started to run away, a dragon couldn't help but chase her. 
• She has a wizard who tells her who was responsible for the loss of colors in the kingdom. 
• She has soldiers and police officers, but they cannot help her at first because their uniforms coats are drained of color and that makes them powerless. 
• She has a magical horse who takes her to the place where the dragon lives. Princess Josephine is brave as can be. 
• She can talk to the dragon in her Princessy Voice, which is the first thing they teach you in Princess School. She tells the Rainbow Dragon: "I am Princess Josephine. Give my colors back!" "Shan't," says the Rainbow Dragon. "If I don't eat colors, I turn an ugly, awful gray." 

I'm not going to give away the whole story. Where I leave you is at the point where Princess Josephine has to think what to do. That's the second thing they teach you at Princesss School – to think about things. I will say that the ending is a happy one, even for the dragon. And you will have to get the book to find out the third and most important thing they teach you at Princess School.

Not only is this book fun and instructive, it is a handsome book with hard-cover binding that will stand up to being carried around for a while by a princess who wants to show it to her friends.

• To order "Princess Josephine": Click here (you will go to the new Boissevain Books store).
• The only way to get a 15% ($3) discount on the price is to order online and then copy this code into the discount box: JCKRN2S38AFK.

CHRISTMAS CAROL | Dec. 17–Pub. Date ("Scrooge"). What year?

Charles Dickens,
A Christmas Carol,
A 1900 U.S. edition.

It was 1843 when A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens was first published.

You may forget the name of the book. It was made into many successful movies, and they usually give the story a better name, just Scrooge:

• Scrooge, or, Marley's Ghost, A Christmas Carol (1908)
• A Christmas Carol (1910)
• Scrooge (1913)
• Scrooge (1935)
• A Christmas Carol (1938)
• Scrooge (1951)
• It's Never Too Late (A Christmas Carol) (1960)
• Scrooge (1970)
• A Christmas Carol (1971)
• An American Christmas Carol, Mickey's Christmas Carol, Scrooged,The Muppet Christmas Carol, A Christmas Carol (1997)
• A Diva's Christmas Carol, Christmas Carol: The Movie, A Carol Christmas,Springtime with Roo, Chasing Christmas, A Christmas Carol (2006)
• A Dennis the Menace Christmas, An American Carol,Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,A Christmas Carol (2009)
• The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol (2011)

You know the story. Three ghosts – from the past, present and future – haunt Ebenezer Scrooge, by the end of which he has learned the Spirit of Christmas. My favorite Scrooge I think is still Alistair Sim.

You don't need to pay for a copy of this book any more. The copyright has expired. You can read the entire book free. The full text is here: http://www.stormfax.com/dickens.htm. You're welcome.

Now, with the money you have saved, the sponsors of the Boissevain Books suggests that you buy a copy of the just-released book Princess Josephine and the Rainbow Dragon. The copyright is fresh so you can't get it free for at least another 50 years.

It's a beautifully printed hard-cover book. Surely there is a princess in your family who wants this book. A young lady aged 5 to 10, maybe? A daughter, granddaughter, niece, great-niece? The lessons are powerful, but are transmitted Mary Poppins-wise.

If your princess is not yet ready for this $145,000 diamond
tiara from Tiffany, I suggest the $19.95 book, Princess
Josephine and the Rainbow Dragon.

The book is illustrated by my sister Brigid Marlin and is written by my niece Kate Bodsworth. I recommend it highly.

The illustrations are uniquely heart-warming. Princess Josephine reveals the inside scoop on the three things she has learned from Princess School. If anyone knows how to reason with dragon, Josephine is it.

The dragon is not an easy sell. He sucks all the colors out of her kingdom because if he doesn't, he loses his own colors – which if you don't know it, would be hugely embarrassing for a Rainbow Dragon.

Worst case scenario, when he is all grey, he will turn to stone.

Bottom line, the dragon has No Choice! What can Princess Josephine do?? She puts on her Princess School thinking cap, that's what she does. She thinks and thinks... .

..and you will have to buy the book to find out what happens next. The book is an inexpensive gift for a princess at $19.95 and to ship it direct to you we add on only the actual cost of shipping. What a deal. ACT! CLICK HERE NOW.

The only way to get a 15% ($3) discount on the $19.95 price is to order from the Boissevain Books Store online. Go to http://www.boissevainbooks.com. Copy this code into the discount box: JCKRN2S38AFK.

Thank you for ordering,
John
John Tepper Marlin for Boissevain Books

BOISSEVAIN | Reunion, The Netherlands, April 16-17, 2016 3rd Notice

December 3, 2015

Dear Relatives!

We so far have received 40 registrations for the reunion. Many relatives from outside the Netherlands have signed up. Therefore we ask residents of Holland to put the date in their calendar and register via the email address below. For catering and organizational reasons we would like to know ahead of time how many people we need to accommodate. Fairly soon we will present a list with the names of the relatives who will definitely participate.

Tentative programme

Saturday April 16                 Sunday April 17

1 PM Welcome, tea, coffee Visit to Pampus Island

2 PM Formal part with

• news about the Boissevain Foundation
• short reading about maritime Boissevains
• present Boissevain Award
• practise Boissevain Song
• auction Boissevain Books

3-5 PM  Drinks & bites

6 PM Dinner

Charges

The charges for the drinks, dinner and Sunday program will be paid at the time with credit cards or cash. The Boissevain Foundation only charges a basic amount of 10 (ten) euro per participant, which includes tea/coffee at 1 PM and drinks & bites after 3 pm on Saturday. Children up to 12 years old are for free. This is because we want as many relatives to be present at as many moments as possible, even if they can come just for a short time.

Registration

Official registration starts now. Please let us know which part of the program you will attend and for how many people.

Contact

E: avivaboissevain@hotmail.com

T: +31.20.62.26.594

On January 1 new information will follow in our fourth reunion notice. Till then!

Annemie, Aviva, Barbera and Charles Boissevain

POPE FRANCIS | Visits Nairobi, by Author Olga Marlin

Margaret (L) and Uhuru Kenyatta greet Pope Francis.

Boissevain Books just received an email from Kenya. Olga Marlin, a Boissevain Books author (To Africa with a Dream), writes to us about the excitement of the Papal Visit to Nairobi. Here is her report:

The Holy Father was staying very near Kianda School, in the Papal Nunciature, and he passed by the school every time he went out or returned home. Kangemi, the slum he visited, is just behind the school. Some of our bursary girls come from there.

Pope Francis with President Kenyatta (R) and two former Presidents of
Kenya, Mwai Kibaki and Daniel arap Moi.

I and other people from Kianda attended the reception for around 500 people in State House, where the Pope was welcomed by the President and his wife et al., with a 21-gun salute. The two previous presidents (Mwai Kibaki and Daniel Arap Moi) were also there. The atmosphere was very warm.

Just as the Pope and entourage were getting ready to leave, a huge downpour started and continued throughout the following day. People got up very early to attend the 10:00 Holy Mass on the Nairobi University sports grounds. I left with several others at 7:00 a.m, and we ploughed our way through the mud and rain with another million people, to our reserved seats under a canopy.

Mercedes and I were about 20 seats behind President Kenyatta and his wife Margaret and dignitaries. [Note by Bois Books: An estimated one million people attended the Mass.]

Hilda van Stockum (1908-2006), "The Holy Family," Kimlea,
Kenya.  By permission of the Estate of Hilda van Stockum.

I had a beautiful view of the Altar, with Mother's painting of the Holy Family just in front of me. It was brought down from Kimlea just for this purpose. I hope you get a chance to see it.

The Kianda Girls' Choir prepared for weeks to sing for the Holy Father. They prepared an Argentinian Tango, a Kiswahili song and an English one ("Lean on Me"). They were waiting at the Nunciature when he arrived from State House. After the Argentinian song he went up to congratulate them. They followed him into the Nunciature singing the other songs. The girls of Kibondeni were recruited to help in the kitchen and serve the table for the Holy Father. They were so happy!

An Argentinian lady whose family knows the Pope very well, prepared several items on a silver tray which was left in the Holy Father's room: On it were a drink the Pope likes very much with a glass and... a dedicated copy of To Africa With a Dream in Spanish (Con un sueño en África).

Cristina from my Centre was brought in her wheelchair to the entrance of the Nunciature where they waited with many other people for the return of the Pope. When he arrived he came out of the car to meet the people. There was a lady with a newborn child who is being baptized ("Francis") today, and the Pope kissed him and made the sign of the cross on his forehead. There was another small baby girl called Francisca, whom the Pope also blessed. Then he saw Cristina and immediately went over to her. He asked her name, held her hands, and gave her a rosary. She was overjoyed!

I went out several times to our Kianda corner, where the Kenya flag and the Vatican flag were flying, in order to greet the Pope as he passed. On the way to Kangemi he was in the pope mobile, and he blessed all of us standing there.