Robin and Jean Travel: vol. 4

Robin and Jean in the Netherlands and Belgium

Plot

The chief aim in writing this book is to give American children a love for and a knowledge of the Netherlands and Belgium, beyond that which they can acquire through the ordinary geographical and historical reader. The history, traditions, and customs of an old country are a rich heritage that can best be appreciated by knowing the old country and comparing it with the new. With this idea, the travels of two lively American children are related in story form and from the child's point of view. Robin and Jean are introduced to the famous sea captains Henry Hudson, Tasman, and de Ruyter, to William the Silent, whose struggles for his country's liberty recall those of Washington in the Revolutionary War, and to great artists like Rembrandt, Hals, and Rubens. They explore towns, churches, and castles that were backgrounds for the eventful lives of Coster, the printer of Haarlem, of the Pilgrim Fathers at Leiden, and of Charles V and his Spanish rulers. While they are learning of the bygone days of Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Bruges, they are attracted by the people they meet. In this way the human side of travel is emphasized, and geography, art, and history are imbued with life.