Annie M. G. Schmidt

Hello. My name is Annie M. G. Schmidt, and I became one of the most famous writers in my home country, the Netherlands. I was born on May 20th, 1911, in a small town called Kapelle. My father was a minister, so our house was often very quiet. This gave me plenty of time to get lost in my own imagination. I spent countless hours reading books, writing my own poems, and making up silly rhymes just for fun. I loved stories so much that I decided that when I grew up, I would become a librarian. That way, I could be surrounded by books and stories all day long.

After World War II ended, I felt it was time for a change. In 1946, I moved to the big, bustling city of Amsterdam to work for a newspaper called Het Parool. It was a very exciting time in my life. At the newspaper, I met so many interesting people, including talented artists and other writers who inspired me. I started writing songs and poems for adults, but my absolute favorite part of the job was writing for the children's page. It was there that I discovered I had a special talent for writing stories that could make children laugh, think, and see the world in a new way.

In 1952, I had an idea that would change my life forever. I started writing a weekly story about two little neighbors, a boy named Jip and a girl named Janneke. Their adventures weren't grand or magical; they were about the simple things that all children experience, like playing in the garden, making new friends, or getting a puppy. A wonderful artist named Fiep Westendorp drew the pictures for my stories, and her simple, charming drawings helped bring Jip and Janneke to life. Before long, they were famous all over the Netherlands. But I didn't stop with just Jip and Janneke. I had so many other characters and stories inside me. In 1957, I wrote a book called Wiplala, which was about a tiny man with magical powers who causes all sorts of trouble. Then, in 1971, I wrote Pluk van de Petteflet, a story about a kind boy with a little red tow truck who drives around helping everyone he meets. My stories also found their way onto the radio and television. In 1966, I created a very popular television show called Ja zuster, nee zuster, which means Yes Nurse, No Nurse. It was a comedy filled with funny songs that families loved to watch together.

My stories were a little different from most other children's books you could find at the time. My characters were not always perfectly behaved. In fact, they were sometimes a little bit naughty and didn't always listen to what grown-ups told them to do. I think children found this very funny and refreshing because it felt real. For many years, I simply enjoyed writing the kind of fun, adventurous stories that I would have loved to read when I was a child. Then, in 1988, I received a wonderful and unexpected surprise. I was given the Hans Christian Andersen Award, which is a very important prize, almost like the Nobel Prize for children's books. It was a great honor to know that my stories were loved by children not just in the Netherlands, but all around the world.

I lived a long and wonderful life filled with stories and songs. I passed away on May 21st, 1995, just one day after my 84th birthday. I lived to be 84 years old. Even today, children all over the world still read my books about Jip and Janneke, Pluk, and all my other friends. I hope my stories continue to inspire you to be curious, a little bit rebellious, and to always find the magic in the ordinary world around you.