The teacher Christiaan van Abcoude started to write children's books because he noticed that his students found the books in his class too boring. In 1914, Pietje Bell was published, a story about a naughty but charming Rotterdam kid who, despite his many mischiefs, remains the apple of his father's eye. This to the annoyance of the chemist Geelman and his good son who try to blacken Pietje. When
… Pietje is falsely accused of theft, he and his friend Sproet set up the gang of the Black Hand ... A film has already been made of the book and now a family musical has also been released. Critics point to the lack of dramatic cohesion within the musical, but that should not spoil the fun on CD. The songs do not breathe the atmosphere of the early twentieth century (too much is drawn from post-war genres for that), but one cheerful sing-along song follows another. Very suitable for the classroom. (CP)more