Elsje #1

This Dutch collection from 2010 brings together the charming adventures of Elsje, the thoughtful little girl created by Hercules and Valkema. Gerben Valkema's cover art captures her perfectly — a small girl in a red shirt and dark skirt, pigtails tied with a pink bow, standing with one finger pressed to her lip in a moment of quiet, pensive contemplation. The Dutch tagline, "Een gelukkig kind kan tegenwoordig nergens meer terecht" ("A happy child can't get away with anything these days"), hints at the gentle, knowing humor that has made Elsje such an endearing presence in Dutch comics.