Okki and his friends

I've posted Okki illustrations before, here and here. And there is more to come!

Doel - Belgium

Last weekend I was on my way to my parents when I thought about visiting Doel, near Antwerp (Belgium). I knew about this small village 'cause this is where one of the two nuclear power plants is situated quite near to where I grew up (in Zeeland, near the border of Belgium). The past decade Doel is threatened with complete demolition due to future enlargement of the harbour of Antwerp. This made Doel into a ghost town. And well worth a visit because since the depopulation, Doel has attracted numerous street artists.

It was a gloomy day, as you can see in the pictures, and somewhat scary for the children... 

above: Street artist Roa

Paris, a long time ago

Last summer we were in Paris for about an hour, we barely had time to see the Eiffel tower. It's been too long since I visited Paris for a longer period of time. Looking at these postcards makes me anxious to go and show our children that there is more to Paris than the Eiffel tower!

Vintage illustrated postcards

Wind-up figurines

Found these in a small shop here in town, just love them!

Peter and the wolf - Serge Prokofief

One of the best children's books I came across: Peter and the wolf by Serge Prokofief, illustrated by Frans Haacken. This edition is from 1964, it was first published in 1958.

Growing up I didn't get familiar with the story nor with the music, unfortunately. But this book makes up for this blank spot in my education. The illustrations by Frans Haacken are amazing and the fact that they're black with just a touch of colour is a very interesting and bold choice for a children's book!

I'd like to know what you think of it!