This year’s Gouden Griffel (golden pencil) for the best children’s book was awarded to Marjolijn Hof on Tuesday evening for Een Kleine Kans (A Small Chance). Culture minister Ronald Plasterk made the presentation at the start of children’s Book Week.

Hof, 51, worked as a librarian before turning to writing full-time. Een Kleine Kans is her first novel and already received the Gouden Uil (golden owl) prize for youth literature and the Gouden Uil for the young reader.
The Gouden Griffel is a yearly prize for the best original Dutch children’s book.