Nans van Leeuwen


Nans van Leeuwen was a prolific Dutch illustrator and author of children's books.

Life

Ferdinanda Emilia 'Nans' van Leeuwen was born in Amsterdam, the daughter of Klaas van Leeuwen, a painter and teacher. She graduated from the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in Amsterdam in 1922. She moved to Rotterdam, where she taught at a girls' school from 1922 to 1962.
She began illustrating children's books in the 1920s for other authors, and she eventually began to write and illustrate her own books. She is best known as the illustrator of a series of children's books featuring a goblin named Piggelmee that were published as a form of advertising by the Van Nelle coffee company in the 1930s and 1940s. The first of the Piggelmee books, Het tovervisje, was based on a story by the Brothers Grimm. Following this came De wonderschelp, which was written in verse, and De Baas van Bos en Duin.
Her career spanned three decades, with her last work being published in the late 1950s. Her style ranged from one that was strongly linear and akin to that of illustrators such as Maginel Wright Enright, Rie Cramer, and Mabel Betsy Hill to a softer style built on color washes.

Illustrated works

Written by van Leeuwen

Sneeuwpret Sinterklaas is jarig Schoonmaak bij de muisjes De muizen gaan verhuizen! De sneeuwman van Jaap en Jetje Lotje in luilekkerland Het verdwaalde eendje Het feest van de tuinkabouter A Rainy Day
  • '' Moeder Muis houdt grote schoonmaak''

Written by other authors

Bobtail's Adventure by Maggy Larissa