{"id":118786,"date":"2020-10-22T10:16:29","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T08:16:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=118786"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:10","slug":"why-moniek-buijzen-loves-childrens-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/10\/22\/why-moniek-buijzen-loves-childrens-books\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Moniek Buijzen loves children\u2019s books"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a child, communication scientist Moniek Buijzen loved the fantasy worlds created in books and films. She never ceased to be fascinated by them. She often finds herself thinking of the children\u2019s fantasy book Torenhoog en mijlen breed<\/em><\/a>, written by renowned Dutch children\u2019s author Tonke Dragt.<\/p>\n

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Moniek Buijzen, 47, first read Tonke Dragt\u2019s Torenhoog en mijlen breed<\/em> about 35 years ago. She borrowed the book from a student who rented a room in her parents\u2019 home, and whose room was next to hers. The student, whom Buijzen considered \u2018a very old man\u2019 at the time, had shared other books with her before. She rather likes the idea of that in hindsight. As a 12-year-old girl, she was relieved to have something to read. The story told in Torenhoog en mijlen breed<\/em> always stayed with her.<\/p>\n

Anxious<\/h2>

The book\u2019s protagonist, Edu, goes on a voyage of discovery in the extremely dangerous forests on the planet Venus, despite having been warned by many people not to do so. He discovers that the forest is entirely different than he expected. \u201cWhenever I feel anxious about what may come, I\u2019ll remind myself of the message of the book: \u2018Conquer your fear of the unknown and embark on an adventure!\u2019 When people see my CV or website, they tend to think I\u2019m a brave person. Even my own coach called me \u2018tough\u2019. But I\u2019m not. In actual fact, I\u2019m the anxious type, and I\u2019m trying to fight my anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018Whenever I feel anxious about what may come, I\u2019ll remind myself of the message of the book: \u2018Conquer your fear of the unknown and embark on an adventure!\u2019\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

For instance, at the start of 2020, Buijzen considered making the switch from Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen to Erasmus University Rotterdam. \u201cMy impression of Rotterdam and EUR was of a cool, new and edgy place where people rolled up their shirtsleeves and got things done. But when the time came to make a decision on whether or not to make the switch, I was afraid I might have overromanticised the place. I was afraid it was full of corporate people. I don\u2019t like those.\u201d She conquered those fears and decided to embark on the adventure. She \u2018absolutely loves\u2019 working at EUR now.<\/p>\n

Children\u2019s entertainment<\/h2>

As a child, Buijzen\u2019s ideals were shaped by various TV shows. A show about the veterinary surgeon James Herriot caused her to want to become a vet. Then she watched the American legal drama Matlock<\/em> and dreamed of becoming an attorney. In the end, she chose to get a degree in communication science, so as to be able to take an in-depth look at the very media that inspired her.<\/p>\n\n\t

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Read more:<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t