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Mattias De Leeuw wins Gulden Palet for ‘Circus Night’

Two days ago, the Gulden Palet was awarded to illustrator Mattias De Leeuw in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The Gulden Palet is an annual Dutch prize for the best foreign illustrator of a children's novel. De Leeuw received the award for his book Circus Night, a picture book without words about a girl who is transported to a circus in the middle of the night and has the time of her life there.

Earlier this year, the Penseeljury awarded two Zilveren Paletten: one for ‘Circus Night’ and one for ‘Kek iz tak?’ by American author Carson Ellis. These two titles were then in the running for the Gulden Palet, the winner of which was only announced this week.

The jury was impressed by Mattias De Leeuw’s sure-fire drawing style.
Jury Report

From the Jury Report: 'Such panache! Circus Night is a picture book that is full of fun. Peacefully browsing and looking at the pages of this book with its abundance of motion might just calm down even the most hyperactive child. And not just that: it might also expand the child’s horizon. Because if you want something really badly and you do everything to get it, life is full of possibilities.'

Apart from the Gulden Palet, the jury also announced the winner of the Gulden Penseel, the prize for the best illustrated children's book published in The Netherlands in the past year. This award went to ‘Tangramkat’ by illustrator Martijn van der Linden.