New Releases by Rien Poortvliet

The charming sequel to the runaway classic Gnomes In this republication of the charming sequel to Gnomes, Rien Poortvliet and Wil Huygen collaborate once again to recount their long, arduous journey through the forest at the request of the gnomes. The 200 hand-illustrated pages overflow with the authors’ on-the-scene sketches and firsthand observations. Poortvliet and Huygen are invited as more than mere observers though. After a meal of mushrooms and cream (which tastes as if it were made of “everything that light, air, sun, moon, and earth could produce”), they find that they have been turned into gnomes themselves! The authors take a penetrating look at their subjects: they learn of the tender emotional life of a gnome; they see and diagram the mechanics of ingenious gnome technology; they observe how gnomes administer justice in the wild; they are told how fairy tales first began (Little Red Riding Hood was actually a gnome!); and, best of all, they are allowed to see parts of the gnomes’ fabled Secret Book. Endowed with gnome characteristics such as exceptional vision and heightened senses of touch, smell, taste, and hearing—and decked in peaked gnome caps—Poortvliet and Huygen are led from Lapland across the Siberian wilderness by Nicolas, the gruff but kindly guide who teaches them the secrets of survival in the icy north. The three travel across varied modes of transportation—in a troika pulled by lemmings, on a fox’s back, and on the head of a moose. They are even carried by the abominable snowman! Lovers of gnomes will celebrate the arrival of this new volume and delight in the opportunity to know these elusive creatures better. Scores of enchanting illustrations by Poortvliet record the comings and goings of gnomes and the loving interaction with nature for which they are so famous.

De kunstenaar/tekenaar Rien Poortvliet en zijn vriend, de wetenschapper Wil Huygen, hebben in het boek Leven en werken van de Kabouter alle feiten en mythes over de kabouter voor eens en voor altijd uiteengezet en verklaard. Sinds het verschijnen van het boek zijn jong en oud geboeid door de prachtige tekeningen en uitgebreide verhalen over deze kleine figuren. Werkelijk alle aspecten van het kabouterleven komen aan bod; van kunst en cultuur, architectuur, onderwijs en opvoeding, tot relaties, gereedschappen en medicijnen. Zowel met het potlood als de pen wordt alles gedetailleerd en met humor beschreven.

Featuring candid photographs of garden gnomes, this charming follow-up to the "The Secret Lives of Gnomes" offers detailed information about the various customs that gnomes hold during Christmastime. Full color.

A clock with movable hands helps children learn to tell time.

Learn how gnome families spend their day.

The special caring relationship between gnomes and their animal friends.

Special caring relationship between gnomes and their animal friends.

Special caring relationship between gnomes and their animal friends.

The Sandman travels with his donkey Suzanne, visiting beings all over the world to bring them sleep.

The acclaimed Dutch painter and illustrator of the enormously successful Gnomes takes readers back hundreds of thousands of years to the Ice Age. Through more than 220 pages of full-color illustrations and incisive text, Rien Poortvliet presents an up-close look at real and imaginary Ice Age animals.