Els Pelgrom facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Els Pelgrom
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Els Pelgrom (1983)
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| Born | Else Koch 2 April 1934 Arnhem, Netherlands |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | Dutch |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Notable awards |
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Els Pelgrom (born April 2, 1934, in Arnhem, Netherlands) is a famous Dutch writer. Her real name is Else Koch, but she uses the pen name Els Pelgrom. She is best known for writing wonderful books for children. As of 2019, she is the only author to have won the important Gouden Griffel award three times.
Contents
About Els Pelgrom's Life
Early Career Paths
Before becoming a full-time writer, Els Pelgrom had a few different jobs. For a while, she worked on the children's section of a newspaper called the Winschoter Courant. She also spent a short time working as a teacher. These experiences might have helped her understand what children enjoy reading.
Writing for Young Readers
Els Pelgrom started her writing journey in 1962 with a book called Het geheimzinnige bos. However, many people consider her book De kinderen van het achtste woud (published in 1977) to be her true start as a children's author. This book was very successful.
Awards for Her Books
De kinderen van het achtste woud won the prestigious Gouden Griffel award in 1978. This is a very important award for children's books in the Netherlands. The book was so good that it was translated into English as The Winter When Time Was Frozen. This English version also won an award, the Mildred L. Batchelder Award, in 1981. It was also translated into German and won another award there.
Els Pelgrom won the Gouden Griffel award two more times. She received it for her books Kleine Sofie en Lange Wapper and De eikelvreters. She also won the Zilveren Griffel award for Voor niets gaat de zon op (in 1983) and Het onbegonnen feest (in 1988). Other awards she received include the Vlag en Wimpel for De Olifantsberg (1986) and De straat waar niets gebeurt (1987).
In 1994, Els Pelgrom received the Theo Thijssen-prijs. This special award honors a writer's entire collection of work. It shows how much her books have meant to Dutch children's literature. In 1995, she wrote Bombaaj!, which was the special book given out during the Boekenweek (Book Week) for children. Most of her books have been published by Querido, a well-known publisher.
Collaborations with Artists
Many talented artists have drawn pictures for Els Pelgrom's books. Some of these illustrators include Margriet Heymans, Peter van Straaten, and Thé Tjong-Khing. Her books have also been translated into many languages. For example, Mirjam Pressler and Hanni Ehlers translated many of her books into German. Some of her books were also translated into English by Arnold Pomerans.
Els Pelgrom's Family Life
Els Pelgrom was married to Karl Pelgrom. They had three children together. She also lived for some time in Granada, a beautiful city in Spain. Interestingly, Els Pelgrom is the half-sister of another well-known Dutch writer and actor, Herman Koch.
Awards and Recognitions
Here is a list of some of the important awards Els Pelgrom has received for her amazing books:
- 1978: Gouden Griffel, for De kinderen van het achtste woud
- 1983: Zilveren Griffel, for Voor niets gaat de zon op
- 1985: Gouden Griffel, for Kleine Sofie en Lange Wapper (Little Sophie and Lanky Flop)
- 1986: Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis, for Die wundersame Reise der kleinen Sofie (Little Sophie and Lanky Flop)
- 1986: Vlag en Wimpel, for De Olifantsberg
- 1987: Vlag en Wimpel, for De straat waar niets gebeurt
- 1988: Zilveren Griffel, for Het onbegonnen feest
- 1990: Gouden Griffel, for De eikelvreters
- 1994: Theo Thijssen-prijs, for her entire collection of books
