Children’s book writer Guus Kuijer was on Tuesday announced as the 2012 winner of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. He is the first Dutch writer to win.

The award, given to a writer, author or organisation working in the spirit of Astrid Lindgren, is worth five million Swedish kronen (€563,000) and is the biggest children’s book award in the world.
The Swedish government set up the award in 2002 as a memorial to writer Astrid Lindgren, whose books about Pippi Longstocking are popular around the globe.
Kuijer started writing children’s books in the mid-1970s and his five books about Madelief (Daisy) were an immediate success. He went on to win ‘every prize possible’ and in 1999 published Polleke (Polly) which was made into a successful film.