The Leafless Tree
In this old Dutch folktale, a fairy leads one man to a bridge in Amsterdam to find his fortune.

JOOST SWARTE, like the characters in The Leafless Tree, lives in Haarlem, the Netherlands, a city which has adopted the symbol of a leafless tree. He is married and has three daughters and two cats. Among his many past projects are a series of comics for children and Dutch postage stamps. Joost is now working on a children's book and the architectural design of a theater in Haarlem that will open in 2002.