Children’s writer Annie M. G. Schmidt

The writer Annie M. G. Schmidt is mainly known for her popular children’s books. Floddertje, Pluk van de Petteflet and Jip en Janneke are only a few examples of her much-read books. Besides these popular books, she also wrote light verse, songs, stage plays, musicals, and radio and television plays.

The characters from the stories can be found in Kapelle

Annie M. G. Schmidt was born in Kapelle in 1911. This is shown in several places in the village. There are several statues of the writer herself, but also of characters from her books. Near the house of her birth at the Kerkplein there is a bust of her. One area is completely dedicated to Annie M. G. Schmidt’s characters. This area is called the ‘Zuidhoek’, also locally known as the ‘Jip en Janneke wijk’ (Jip and Janneke area). Even the streets are named after characters from her books. Streets found in this area include, for instance: Floddertje, Petteflet and Minoes. Several statues and other details can be found in the area as well. The characters of Dikkertje Dap and the dog Takkie are to be found in the playground for instance. The cycling tunnel under the Kapelle-Biezelinge station is also decorated in Jip-en-Janneke style.