Belgium, 12 December 2025 – One of Belgians’ most beloved children’s authors, Marc de Bel, and the Leuven-based start-up Chroniclefields join forces to unveil an absolute world premiere. With the launch of ‘Cinematic Reading’, a completely new layer is added on top of the traditional (read-aloud)story format, enriched with cinematic scenes, music and interactive elements. The result: a fresh, captivating experience for both children and parents.

“We started Chroniclefields a year and a half ago with a simple dream: could we spark more curiosity for beautiful stories among children and young people by introducing them to storytelling in new, inspiring ways?” says founder, creative director and young father Pieter Marnef. “By experimenting extensively, we developed a technology and platform that add an extra touch of magic to books. You get a hybrid reading experience where text and cinematic visuals alternate. You truly experience the story in a different way. We called this new form of entertainment ‘Cinematic Reading’, because it captures exactly what it is: being drawn into a cinematic world while reading or reading aloud.”
 

The first story to launch is De Wolk van Nura (Nura’s Cloud), written by Marc de Bel, one of the most iconic names in Flemish and Dutch children’s literature, with 2.5 million books sold.

“When Pieter told me about his dream and showed me the first concept for Nura’s story, I was immediately convinced,” says Marc de Bel. “I strongly believe in the power of a good book and strong characters. If we can add an extra layer on top of that, we can give children a unique experience that stimulates their imagination even more.”

Nura’s Cloud tells the moving story of a girl who finds a new ray of hope during a dark period, thanks to Santa Claus and the Boeboeks. “With the Boeboeks, I bring popular characters from another of my book series into this new experience. My books have been translated into thirteen different languages, which immediately opens doors internationally,” de Bel adds.

“Who didn’t grow up with Marc de Bel?” says Marnef. “I was always amazed by his fantastic stories as a child. Our first meeting felt special, but the creative collaboration clicked right away. Marc focused on the story, while I worked on the film, the music and the technology that makes everything come alive.”

“It feels as if the story starts living before your eyes,” de Bel continues. “Text, visuals and music blend into a dream. When Pieter created the film fragments and composed the music, I instantly got goosebumps.”

Nura’s Cloud will is available for free here on Chroniclefields.com. The soundtrack can be found on Spotify and Apple Music. Pelckmans Publishers has released the physical book edition as well.

Now that the technology, developed entirely in Belgium, is ready, new collaborations with authors and publishers are lined up. This new reading format also opens up promising possibilities for educational books; initial discussions are already underway.

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​​About Marc de Bel (°1954)

Marc de Bel is one of Flanders’ most renowned and award-winning children’s authors. He is the creator of the Boeboeks, Blinker, De zusjes Kriegel and (S)Toverij met Frieten, among many others. He has sold more than 2.5 million books, translated into over ten languages. With Nura’s Cloud, he takes a new step into the world of digital storytelling.
 

About Pieter Marnef (°1984)

Pieter Marnef is the creator of ‘Cinematic Reading’ and founder/creative director of the Chroniclefields platform. With more than eighteen years of experience in media and entertainment, he is also a public speaker. In 2024, he created Marcy Cortega, the first Belgian virtual artist, a testcase exploring how AI can enhance creative processes in music, film, storytelling and live entertainment.

About Chroniclefields (°2023)

Chroniclefields blends educational and entertainment elements within its cinematic reading experiences. Central to the platform is the AI Reading Guide, a virtual companion who reads aloud, explains vocabulary, answers questions and supports the reader, turning reading into an interactive experience.
Users can also bring their own stories, drawings and characters to life in the Cinematic Reading format. The platform opens to a limited group of testers in 2026, but Nura’s Cloud is already being offered for free to everyone. Chroniclefields operates from Start it @ KBC and is supported by Google for Startups.