Wikipedia says:
"Ot and Sien( pronounce "ot" like in "lot", and "Sien" like "scene") are the main characters in a series of Dutch children's tales that were very popular in the first half of the twentieth century.Ot is a little boy and Sien is a little girl The first series appeared in 1902. The second series followed in 1904. The author acted on the inspiration of Jan Ligthart, who had the intention to expose young people to what he considered a healthy daily family life. The illustrations were made by Cornelis Jetses."
They still are very beautiful even if they are old-fashioned.They are the books I was taught with in such a way that I became a passionate reader.
"After WWII the stories of Ot and Sien gradually went out of fashion and they were often ridiculed for the unrealistic picture they gave of life in the province. A century after their appearance there is a revival in the interest for the publications and in 2004 an exposition was held, focusing mostly on the artwork by Jetses."
These books are not used in schools anymore. Kids prefer Harry Potter now.
Click on the photos, please if you want to see more details.
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40 comments:
As a former teacher, I really enjoyed your post and pictures for the day, Wil! It's sad here these days to see so little time being given to helping children appreciate books and stories even in the schools and, of course, at home it's mostly all about video games! I'm just glad they weren't even that well known when my kids were growing up and, fortunately, they have retained their love of books. Terrific post for the day! Hope your week goes well!
Sylvia
Lovely. Classic characters like this don't age Wil - I am sure that children love them just as much today as they ever did.
I love this! By the way, I always enjoy seeing your header photos, Wil. They are so beautiful.
Ot and Sien sounds like our reading primer of long ago called Dick and Jane. The series eventually became obsolete because of the predictable language and idealistic story line.
However, I grew up with Dick and Jane and loved it, too.
I'm so glad the books a re back in fashion again. Any books that turn children into readers should NEVER be abandoned. :)
I love the illustrations! And your header is wonderful!Again,a look I could live with.
If children are started on books like these, they will always love them. The illustrations are delightful. Thank you for sharing them, Wil.
Kay, Alberta, Canada
I suppose there was not a lot of time or patience for the innocent after that horrible time in world history. Such a shame.
it's great that books are coming back. books were a big part of my childhood and yes, those books made me a book-lover, too. love this post.
Good to read about Ot and Sien, the characters that inspired and introduced you to the passion of reading.
Have a lovely week. :)
What delightful pictures Wil. Perhaps they do not show the way the world is, but should be. I am all for that.
I have a feeling I have seen something like this before when I was "somewhat younger". I know there were several Scandinavian authors/artists in the same vein, but maybe Ot and Sien were translated into Norwegian?
Incredible illustrations in these books, Will. I always tried to make a point of using an old "classic" when teaching but it's the same here - the modern books prevail. Have a wonderful week!
Oh this story is adorable, I love the beautiful pictures and the kids also have a cute "kitty", like "me"! :)
My kitty Luna came from Brazil with us and today she has a Luxembourg passport!Cool, isn't it?
Thanks a lot for sharing this story and teaching us about Ot and Sien!
hugs
Léia
There is something very special about classic children's literature. I learned to love books as a child with a series that is no longer popular or used in schools. I'm afraid today's children will no longer appreciate reading.
Thanks for an interesting and informative post.
What beautiful illustrations. We had Peter and Jane books when I was learning to read - not nearly as nice to look at as these though.
I remember many similar fond characters from my reading youth.
Great post; and excellent pics.
Oh, how cute, what lovely characters!!
ABC Wednesday: O
Great illos. Interesting how things go in and out of fashion, fairly arbitrarily.
ROG, ABC Wednesday team
I've got both books and love them. They may be old fashioned, but the illustrations alone are so beautiful, you take the old fashioned bit for granted.
I felt like you were reading a fairy tale! For a minute I became a small child... Thank you for that moment!
You're always so kind...Thank you for your sweet wishes!!!
I love the illustrations, and I would much rather read about "Ot and Sien" than Harry Potter. I never read Harry Potter and have no intention to ever reading any of the HP books.
I like the much more innocent times, when children's stories were just that children's stories.
This was really interesting :)
Maybe we're getting close to a resurgence of classic works - one can always hope!
You can't beat a good book, and childrens fairytales will always be read. Interesting post with new characters to me.
Beautiful pictures Wil - how lucky you are to have had them in your early years, - much better than Dick and Jane! I would like to be able to give these books to my great-grandchildren.
Je viens de passer un bon moment à regarder tous vos posts passés. Que de jolies photos et commentaires intéressants. Depuis que j’ai vu des bancs sur vos posts, à chaque fois que je vois un banc je le prend en photo. Un jour j’en aurai un assez grand nombre pour publier un post je crois.
I like your header photo, it depicts aan era gone by. All it need is a family saying Grace before their dinner.
Do you remember the Dutch Family who came to NZ and then went back?
http://annkschin.blogspot.com/2010/10/sunday-stills-red-and-green.html
The woman in this post is Wendy, she is the girl in the family. She went back to Holland at 2, and 5 years ago, she came over again to NZ with her family. She is the children's pastor of my church. Very lovely lady.
Such charming illustrations Wil from a bygone era and all those of us who remember pre war children's books surely become nostalgic seeing these.
Thank you for giving us this treat.
What some people can't seem to understand is the fact, that there is nothing wrong with showing children and adults how things once were. From the photos, it looks like the illustrations were beautiful. I think it's a shame when they discard something, saying it's old fashion or out of date. Also I love our header photo. Looks so homey. Thanks for the birthday wishes.
Neat info-the illustrations are captivating and enigmatic in themselves. I remember seeing some of that art but I don't remember if it was in a book or what. It's nice to know a bit more about it.
I thought those vintage illustrations were lovely. Very enjoyable post, thank you. Your header photo was terrific.
An English Girl Rambles
What a wonderful heritage!
We had Dick and Jane when I was growing up and learning to read. I don't care what a child reads-- even Harry Potter which I don't care for myself -- just as long as they read! My children did not have Dick and Jane as they were old fashioned by then but they still loved to read because they had parents who loved to read and bought them books and took them to the library often.
beautiful story on o.
love those images.
it's a shame i think.
Looking at the artwork 'old fashioned or not'
they are fantastic
This reminded me of my pre-school days, faded memories revived. Wonderful pictures shared.
Nice.
And I see a mother using a washboard like my grandmother did when I was little.
Those drawings are fabulous! I would have liked to learn at school with such pictures!!
In a way, it's a little like the mood of Comtesse de Segur in France.
I loved any illustrated book. I also had an illustrated bible with illustrations of Dore -I still remember them after all those years!
Love your header, I recognized "het petroleum stel" immediately:) One of my Dutch friends bought me two of these.
Wow! It is so encouraging to read posts like yours - truly inspirational and so creative - a real ABC follower!
Thanks so much for contributing such a well thought out post. I really appreciate the hard work and thinking behind it.
Denise
ABC Team
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