3 October 2002 until 5 January 2003
The Kunsthal Rotterdam and the Koninklijke Bibliotheek present the largest exhibition of children's books ever. In 'Wonderland - From Pietje Bell to Harry Potter' the world of the children's book is brought to life in a spectacular way. At Wonderland, young and old will meet their heroes of then and now: from Arendsoog, Dik Trom and Joop ter Heul to Kikker, Madelief and Snelle Jelle. All highlights from Dutch children's literature of the past 300 years will be present. The books are from the children's books collection of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, with 125,000 copies the largest in the world. With Wonderland, the Kunsthal presents a so-called 'hands-on' family exhibition which is the largest in its 10-year existence. Visitors will not only be able to watch, but take part in activities and dream away in the world of their favourite book. Therefore, Wonderland is a special experience in which fantasy changes into reality and vice versa. The festive opening on Wednesday 2 October also marks the beginning of the 48th Children's Books Week (until 12 October) the theme of which is 'AY AY Captain', books about boats.
Book wall of 160 metres
Old and new themes from children's books are brought to life in sound and vision in twelve exciting pavillions. Visitors can travel to distant countries, shiver in a dark wood, muse on times long past, and do things that are not usually allowed. In one of the pavillions story tellers take the audience to exotic places. They tell stories from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles. In a book wall of 160 metres there are cases with children's books from all times: from Hieronymus van Alphen's 'Proeve van kleine gedigten voor kinderen' uit 1778 to the latest volume in the Harry Potter series. Using a special computer programme, visitors can browse through these often very vulnerable books page by page. In a two storey high Children's books factory visitors can make their own book in order to discover what it is like to be a writer, printer or publisher. During the exhibition, special activities are organized for young and old.
Free transport for schools
Thanks to a grant from the VSB Fund, more than 40,000 school children between the ages of 8 and 12 will be able to visit the exhibition. It is the first time that so many children get the chance of visiting a single exhibition.
One of the goals of Wonderland is to stimulate children's interest in reading. The family exhibition is characterized by a strong educational component. Education is not regarded as an added value, but as an integral part. Together with the Stichting Lezen (Reading Foundation) a special educational programme has been developed for the senior forms of primary schools. Wonderland is made possible by a grant from the VandenEnde Foundation, by the support of the VSB Fonds, Stichting Lezen, Mondriaan Stichting, Fonds 1818, SNS Reaal Fonds and NCDO, and by sponsoring by Océ, Ontwikkelingsbedrijf Rotterdam, IBM and Shell.
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