The freeze is here! A holiday-come, skate!" All the bells in Amsterdam suddenly began to ring, and with a rush we are off on a lively tale of fun and adventure in the studio of the great Rembrandt, told with the sure skill and spirit that have made Isabelle Lawrence's books favorites for decades.


It's a fascinating story, in which fact and fiction are deftly mingled. With Jan Vermeer and Pieter de Hoogh imagined as apprentices in Rembrandt's studio, Henje, a young English girl whose father is in Holland on a secret mission, the great artist himself, his lovely wife Saskia, and other picturesque Dutch characters. Don't forget the puppy, Kris, always in the center of every event!


From the moment when Henje, lost in the streets of Amsterdam, is rescued by Jan and Piet, events move with exciting speed. There is the mystery of the missing prints, the drama of painting the great Night Watch picture, danger and adventure when a baby is kidnapped, fun and frolics on St. Nicholas' Day, woven into an absorbing plot that will delight all who read it.


This 1952 classic returns with original drawings by Manning de V. Lee.