// On this page you will find everything about Who's the boss?From the process of creating the illustrations and the content of the book to videos, the free lesson plan and reviews.
Who's the boss?
How do you make politics fun for children aged 8 and up?
For publisher Luitingh-Sijthoff (Youth & Child)I illustrated the book Who's the Boss? by journalist and author Arwen Kleyngeld.
This book explains how politics works in an accessible, fluent and funny way, especially for children aged about 8 years and up.
It is packed with illustrations (all hand-drawn in ink and blue pencil)
The illustrations and text complement each other, making the explanation even more compelling. I've designed the infographics with an illustrative theme to make them easy to understand and remember. They playfully illustrate how our democracy works, something that's more important now than ever.
Who's the boss? will be available in (online) bookstores from September 30, 2025!
Book specifications:
Cover: Matte finish with spot varnish
Material: Original illustrations in black ink with blue colored pencil
Printing: black and white with one PMS blue
Pages: 162
Illustrations in Who's the boss
The book Who's the boss? Contains over 150 illustrations and infographics. Below is a small preview of the book's look and feel.
Patterns with meanings appear regularly in the book.
If you look closely (or keep looking for a while), you'll discover more and more. This makes it not only fun to read, but also fun to keep looking.
In Who's the boss The Trias Politica is also clearly explained. Arwen explains political movements in a humorous way, using cakes and ice cream. And I brought her explanation to life with illustrated infographics.
My mission is to make complex things understandable with images. Whether it's the Binnenhof in perspective or the workings of government, so that children and adults alike can grasp it at a glance.
Above you see the Binnenhof.
How does the government work? This infographic explains it. The book is full of these illustrated infographics. From parliament to the Trias Politica, from voting to the Bill of Rights and more.
Many people elect someone, and that person, in turn, elects you on important issues. That's the foundation of voting and democracy.
I made this illustration about this.
In Who's the Boss?, cards also feature topics like the Greeks and Romans, as well as global political events. Think of the European Union, UNICEF, the UN, and so on. The cards then clarify which areas are affected..
Hand-drawn illustrations and texts.
All texts in the infographics, illustrations, chapters and on the book cover are hand-drawn.
I made sketches with this blue pencil. Later, I converted it to a single PMS blue for printing.
I drew the rest with ink: lines, hatching and details.
Videos about Who's the boss
In this video I tell you more about the production process and about the book Who's the boss? And let me show you what it looks like.
In this video you can see how the cover of Who's the boss? has been signed.
In this video, author and journalist Arwen Kleyngeld talks about the book
Who's the boss?
A while ago I walked through the Dominicanen bookstore in Maastricht and thought: "How wonderful it would be if there was ever a book here for which I made the illustrations." Now it is Who's the boss? in this and many other (online) bookstores in the Netherlands.
I just took an autumnal walk through the city and I came across our children's book everywhere Who's the boss? against, with the voting poster!
It's so nice to see, also online on social media, that bookstores throughout the Netherlands are completely ready for the elections.
In this video:
The Free Bookstore
Children's book garden in Breda
Kemenade & Hollaers Bookstore
It's great to see all the comments and reviews on social media about Who's the boss? to see, and to see how much attention the book gets from the bookstores.
Who's the Boss Lesson Plan
It's crucial to involve children in politics from a young age. This way, they can understand how it works and discover that politics isn't boring, but rather interesting and meaningful.
That's why we've also developed a lesson plan for "Who's the Boss?" All about politics and how it works. It can be downloaded for free from Uitgeverij Luitingh-Sijthoff BV, via this link:
https://www.lsuitgeverij.nl/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/A4_Lesbrief_Wie-is-de-baas_DEF.pdf
Reviews of Who's the Boss?
Review in Mezza (Algemeen Dagblad), October 4, 2025
It's truly surprising how many interesting facts have been compiled on this topic. As an illustrator, Melanie Drent has played a significant role in this book. She created all sorts of infographics, for example, that illustrate how something works or what order something goes in. It's nice that everything is handwritten; it feels authentic.
If I were still a teacher in grade 7 or 8, I would be very happy to have a good source to read from in these complicated times.”
—
Maaike de Vries, Wise with Language, on Hebban, October 5, 2025
Not necessarily easy topics, but Kleyngeld writes pleasantly unpretentiously and presents the content in understandable, straightforward language. Melanie Drent's witty illustrations and handy infographics are also worth mentioning. Her puzzles and visualizations of topics like the voting process and the constitution clarify Kleyngeld's explanations and make the complex material tangible and manageable for the young audience.
—
Mirjam Noorduijn, NRC, October 24, 2025
All the information is well-supported by Drent's illustrations, which are indispensable in this book. Drent's beautiful illustrations and infographics are humorous and, thanks to the black and blue color scheme, very accessible. They make the information in this book clear. Pay particular attention to the fine lines and the movement; they are very beautiful.
— Children's Book Kingdom, October 2025
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