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Windmills and wooden shoes

Chapter 29: THE DUTCH GARDENS
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About This Book

The narrative follows Dutch siblings Jan and Katrina and their friends as they carry out everyday life in a small Dutch community: chores like milking cows, churning butter, selling milk; play and games; visits to windmills and barges; cultural details such as wooden shoes, storks' nests, blue-and-white dishes, dikes and canals; seasonal events including sleigh rides, St. Nicholas and Christmas; songs and simple illustrated scenes intended for classroom use. Episodes are short and episodic, combining practical descriptions of customs and landscape with domestic scenes to familiarize young readers with Holland's rhythms and material culture.


THE DUTCH GARDENS

No one can think of a more beautiful sight than the Dutch gardens in spring. They are full of red, yellow, white and pink tulips.

There are rows and rows of purple, pink and white hyacinths.

There are great fields of yellow daffodils. They look like patches of sunshine.

There are rows and rows of beautiful white narcissus plants. The sweetness of these plants fills the air.

Katrina and Jan love to go into the beautiful gardens. They pull the weeds from the flower beds.

They like to watch the big, buzzing bees fly around among the flowers.

They like to see the pretty butterflies flitting here and there. Some of the butterflies are white and red, and some are big and yellow.

“The white and red butterflies look like tulips flying away,” said Jan.

“The yellow butterflies look like daffodils,” said little Katrina.