For all those reluctant readers in The Netherlands, the Dutch-language version of my book “I Hate Reading” will be launching in November 2018. The book’s Dutch title is Lezen Is Voor Losers! … Can you guess what it means? Hint: Lezen means “reading.”

Around 17 million people worldwide speak Dutch. I’m not sure how many of those people are reluctant readers, but I bet a huge number of Dutch people have a great sense of humor.

Some fun facts about Holland

• On average, the Dutch are the tallest people in the world.
• The Netherlands is a country with no mountains.
• Orange is the official color of The Netherlands and the nickname of their national soccer team is Orange.
• Why do we usually add the word  “The” when using the country name? Maybe because the longer, official name of the country is “The Kingdom of The Netherlands.”
• 9 out of 10 Dutch people speak English as their second language.

Notes about the Dutch translation of I Hate Reading

The translators took a playful look at the spirit of the title instead of translating it word for word.

The graphic designers also came up with a playful new interpretation of the cover… do those eyes look familiar? Readers of some of my other books may recognize them.

A few of the words in the title make up the mouth of the face, which carries forth the power of typography which is such an important part of the series.

Leopold’s publishing vision

The book’s Dutch publisher, Leopold, is based in Amsterdam. Leopold describes itself this way:

We want to create and bring books that resonate in the mind. Books that make you forget the time. Books that touch the heart. Books that become part of you – so that the magic of childhood will be
never lost and stays alive inside you, vividly.

What a wonderful goal to have! We want those things, too.