Pietje Bell

Pietje Bell is a classic Dutch children's series by Chris van Abkoude, first published in 1914. The books follow Pietje Bell, a cheeky but good-hearted shoemaker's son in Rotterdam who is forever playing pranks and landing in scrapes, yet always means well and stands up for the poor. With his gang, the Zwarte Hand, he turns the streets of the city into one long adventure. The series ran from 1914 to 1936, became a much loved part of Dutch childhood, and was filmed in 2002.