Rintje
Sieb Posthuma’s imaginative illustrations are unmistakable: stylised, brightly coloured and humorous. In the stories of his smooth-haired Fox Terrier Rintje he has gone the extra mile by creating delightful ink and Ecoline drawings of great sensitivity and quirkiness.
Arguably the alter ego of Posthuma’s younger self, Rintje is a creature who strides out into the world with an open mind. And his is not just any world, but one in which dog and human are seamlessly fused. In his hybrid universe Rintje can be 100% Fox Terrier, and yet enjoy human adventures and experiences.
He operates in a doggy environment which has appropriated human objects with perfect ease (framed pictures of his ancestors grace the walls of his home, for instance).
“For children of around four years old, these are very relatable situations […] The standalone stories are engagingly written and well suited to being read out loud, while the illustrations are funny, colorful and dynamic.”
On the whole, Rintje’s escapades end well, but running through the stories is an undercurrent of longing for love and a sense of security. He looks for this, and mostly finds it, with his mother, grandma and canine friends Tobias and Henriette.
The stories have a charming old-fashioned gloss – Mum is at home and a classic housewife – but universal and contemporary themes are explored thoughtfully: what is identity and what does it mean? What’s it like to grow up with a single parent? How do you deal with setbacks and difficulties?
