A Book for You is an anthology of the most beautiful stories, poems, and illustrations from Dutch-language children’s literature, translated into the six most spoken languages in asylum seekers’ centers. The book is a gift for children who have fled their home countries, to welcome them to the Netherlands. In it, they can read famous Dutch stories  — but in their own language.

Starting in January 2024, all children aged 4–12 living in more than 150 asylum centers will receive A Book for You as a welcome gift. 10,000 copies will be distributed to children who speak Arabic, Farsi, Tigrinya, Somali, Turkish, or Kurdish. All other children will receive the wordless picture book Saturday by illustrator Saskia Halfmouw as a gift.

Currently, thousands of children are living in asylum centers in the Netherlands. They face long procedures, stress, uncertainty, and trauma. A book of their own — full of stories in their mother tongue, to read by themselves, to read aloud, or to enjoy together — can make a real difference. It fosters connection between child and parent, between their homeland and their identity, and at the same time serves as a bridge to Dutch (reading) culture.

A Book for You features stories, poems, and illustrations by, among others: Annie M.G. Schmidt, Fiep Westendorp, Toon Tellegen, Annemarie van Haeringen, Max Velthuijs, Thé Tjong-Khing, Jacques Vriens, Bette Westera, Charlotte Dematons, Leo Timmers, Ted van Lieshout, Philip Hopman, and Bart Moeyaert.

The first edition of A Book for You appeared in January 2017, when 5,000 Arabic-language copies were distributed in asylum centers across the Netherlands. The aim was to welcome children with beautiful stories from their new world — but in their own language. This way, they could quickly become familiar with the country and culture they had arrived in, in the hope that the book would offer relaxation and provide something to share with their parents.

Foto: Annelies van der Vegt

In 2025, the A Book for You Foundation (Stichting Een boek voor jou) was established. More information about the foundation will follow later.

Marit Törnqvist initiated a similar project in Sweden after spending time at the asylum center in her village, where she discovered that people deeply longed for books in their own language. In March 2016, 30,000 children’s books by Astrid Lindgren, translated into Arabic, were distributed in Swedish asylum centers. The project was a great success and received widespread media attention.