Jan was a mischievous boy who never did what he was told. Instead of going to school or church, he wandered off to watch boats at the dike's edge or hunt for birds in the forest. So when he discovers a leak in the dike wall that could break and flood his whole town, he runs to get help, but no one believes the mischief maker. He becomes a hero when he stays at the dike all night blocking the leak with his finger until the adults come to find he was telling the truth.

This is a retelling of a classic Dutch folk tale, and the illustrations are created in the style that made Dutch art famous - the Dutch art renaissance of the seventeenth century. This period is characterized by landscapes taking precedent over people, moody color palettes, and of course, the windmills and clogged feet that make us fall in love with the Netherlands. The pages of this book really take you to another place and time. age: 6-10