It is the first book that Pieter Mighorst (74) published, but certainly not the first story he ever invented. Together with illustrator Jacqueline Herrema (61), he published the children’s book ‘How Grompel came into the world’. A large part of the proceeds from the book goes to charity.
“I always fantasized stories for my children before they went to sleep,” says Mighorst. “One of those stories was about Grompel.” When his then 14-year-old grandson asked him who that Grompel actually was, he decided to write the story down. That is where his first book was written. “The story was already partly in my head, because I have told it to both my children and grandchildren. The only thing I had to do was adapt the situations and come up with something new, but the latter actually came naturally.”
I started to live in the world of fairytales
Herrema ultimately thought that there should be a drawing in the book. “It’s a children’s book and a child always wants to see what happens.” It is the first children’s book she has illustrated. She got her inspiration from the mythology discussed in the book, but also from comparisons she made with illustrations from other children’s books. “That’s how I started to immerse myself in the world of fairytales,” she says.
The Grompel
“The story of the Grompel is about a god who wants to take revenge on the people. At a certain point Athenus realizes that if he does that, the whole world will fall into misery,” says Mighorst. “Pandora’s vase then opens, releasing all kinds of plagues on people. Pandora sheds a tear in the vase and from it the Grompel is created. It stands for hope. De Grompel tries to help humanity in different ways. What I think is most important about De Grompel is that it first listens, does not judge and then looks for a solution.”
War Child
Mighorst has chosen to donate part of the proceeds from the book to War Child. “I think it is a great organization that really does something for children who are in a difficult situation.” The book costs 25 euros in the store, of which 10 euros ultimately goes to War Child.
The message is that we need to move towards a better world with more solidarity
“It is a children’s book with a story towards a better world, so of course you choose War Child,” says Herrema. “We know that War Child does good things, not only in Europe, but also beyond. We feel that these children need this.”
Errand
Herrema says she hopes that children will read this book with their parents to see what its message is. “The message is that we need to move towards a better world with more solidarity. The aim is for War Child to be supported in this by the proceeds from the booklet. This way they can set up great initiatives again where necessary.”
