A Delicious Dutch Book List

Not everyone finds books delicious, but a lot of us do. And if you're a homeschooler, or a homeschooling parent, you likely find books ESPECIALLY delicious. Sadly, the price of living and inflation and food goes up... and the price of books doesn't go down. Sometimes I give silent screams when I walk into a store here in Holland, turn over a cute little board book, and find that it costs 8 euros. For a board book that will probably be chewed on for a year or two before it's past repair. A 'normal' paperback easily costs 10-15 euros, so keeping up a book habit can get pricey, and the quality of books matters more. (At least, the internal quality of books mattes; half of the books we own are second-hand, which is why we can afford so many books :D :D :D). We also have library passes at not one but three libraries in the region, and regularly check out our limit for the kids (ten books per pass).



In 2020, the estimated population size of the Netherlands is about 17 million. Of those, only a tiny percentage do homeschool (thuisonderwijs). The relatively small Dutch population, and even smaller homeschooling population, mean that resources are limited. (On second thought, perhaps the resources are just right, compared to the overwhelming amount of English resources.) 

The homeschooling parents I know share tips and information generously, and it's common for someone to post, "My kids are done with one level of math/reading books; does anyone want to buy them?" If I search for homeschool resources in Dutch, I'm more likely to come across traditional Dutch schooling resources that homeschoolers adopt. Or English homeschool resources that a thuisonderwijs parent has saved on Pinterest. Actual homeschool resources, in Dutch, for Dutch homeschoolers, are slowly beginning to multiply, but in the meantime we use a lot of international homeschool resources, such as Rosetta Stone. A few years ago I picked up a set of vintage wooden Cuisinaire rods for cheap from a family who had bought them from another family. The advent of international shipping means that Dutch homeschoolers can order the classic teddybear math manipulatives and have the package arrive at their doorstep. 



As one of thousands of English speaking homeschooling parents around the world, I can easily tap into a wealth of printables, learning materials, curricula, and physical resources that have been recommended and curated by homeschooling experts-- or just from other parents like me. However, our family is Dutch-American, so I want us to have the best of both worlds. Our homeschooling friends are Dutch, and our libraries are Dutch, and the culture surrounding us is Dutch. Clinging to the English-speaking world of homeschooling is impractical and short-sighted (not to mention expensive). Ideally, I'd love to develop our own bilingual library of high quality books and resources, so that Pippin can read "Frog and Toad" one week and then "Kikker en Pad" the next week if he feels like it. Beyond the basics of vocabulary and an entertaining story, a really good book helps with world-building, with knowledge, with empathy for others as a world citizen. I grew up with the Sonlight homeschool curriculum, full of Newberry Award Winners and some of the best English classics for children and young adults, ever. I want that level of books for my children too, but I also want to be able to loan out books to friends who are looking for extra fun and inspiration in their homeschooling journey too.

Sometimes I miss just being able to search online for "How to plan your homeschool day in Holland" or  'Top 10 Must-read Dutch Books for homeschoolers'. And sometimes I grumble about this to my patient husband. But sometimes I realize that, like I remind my children, I can choose to replace grumbling with asking, "What can I do to change this?" And in this case, I can remind myself that I have a blog. I can write homeschool posts about living in Holland as much as I want!  If a post only gets read by two people, but it saves them three hours of research? Totally a win. Not to mention I can always refer to this post when there's a book sale at the library....


Dutch Classics


Kikker is Kikker - Max Velthuijs

Jip and Janneke -Annie M.G. Schmidt

Otje -Annie M.G. Schmidt

Pluk van de Petteflet - Annie M.G. Schmidt



International Classics in Dutch

Pippi Langkous (Pippi Longstocking/Pippi Långstrump)  -  Astrid Lindgren

Heidi - Johanna Spyri



English Classics in Dutch


Rupsje Nooitgenoeg (The Very Hungry Caterpillar) - Erik Carle

Pieter Konijn (Peter Rabbit, series) - Beatrix Potter 

Winnie de Poeh - (Winnie the Pooh, series) - A.A. Milne

Kikker en Pad (Frog and Toad, series) Arnold Lobel

De avonturen van Alice in Wonderland (Alice in Wonderland) - Lewis Carroll

Onder moeders vleugels (Little Women) - Louisa May Alcott

De tovenaar van Oz (The Wizard of Oz) - L. Frank Baum

De wind in de wilgen - Kenneth Grahame

De geheime tuin (The Secret Garden) - Frances Hodgson Burnett

Matilda - Roald Dahl

Het Kleine Huis op de Prairie (Little House on the Prairie, series) - Laura Ingalls Wilder 

Het Jungle Boek (The Jungle Book) - Rudyard Kipling

Waarom? Daarom! (Just So Stories) - Rudyard Kipling

Vlieg Mee met Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie

Sherlock Holmes (series) - Arthur Conan Doyle






Comments

  1. Jessica W.August 26, 2020 at 1:57 AM

    How old are your kiddos? I am trying to follow a combo of BookShark & Sonlight's readalouds to help keep our kids on track with English. Do they speak English or Dutch or both? I've been trying to find playdates with kids who speak English to motivate our kids to speak more English.

    A great book for social studies (and also it's just a fun book) is "Waar is mijn noedelsoep?!?!" You could learn about each of the countries and try to make the foods mentioned too! (However, we tried getting the dumplings from our local sushi shop and they were NOT a hit like the sushi was....)

    App ideas: Squla (NL but also teaches some EN), Khan Academy Kids (EN only)

    Another tip - if you still have access to your US library card, check out the Hoopla (ebooks, audiobooks, videos) & Libby (audio/ebooks), and Kanopy (some PBS episodes, 2 seasons of Sesame Street, animated books and documentaries/film) apps.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lee VAugust 26, 2020 at 4:34 AM

      Hi! Both kids are semi- or mostly bilingual, but we're planning to amp up the Dutch level this year. Thanks for the book and app recommendations! I don't think my US library card is valid anymore but maybe that's something I can check on.... Messaging you privately so we can chat more.

      Delete

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