Maria de Ridder
Picture books about attention, with AnnaMaria and Puck. And Puck as an app for adults: a hundred-year-old cabinet that looks with you at a question from your daily life.
Maria de Ridder makes the stories of AnnaMaria and Puck. Each book is there in Dutch and in English.
In Dutch: een Hoofd Vol
AnnaMaria comes home from school with a head full of thoughts: a little bird, a drawing for Grandma, hard sums, dance class, Lotte's new house. Puck helps her to set them around her like pictures and to look at them one by one. Each thought begins at a different drawer.
In Dutch: Kennismaken met AnnaMaria en Puck
In this book you meet AnnaMaria, and Puck, the little cabinet with six coloured drawers. Each drawer is a way of meeting a moment. At the back there is a part for the grown-ups.
Maria de Ridder wrote the stories of AnnaMaria and Puck. They come from her own life and from what she has gathered over the years in knowledge, skill and experience.
The six drawers are her own language for a movement she recognised in herself, in her personal and in her working life. AnnaMaria is three generations at once: Maria herself, her mother and her grandchildren.
Earlier she wrote Het hoofd van mijn moeder (2025), about her mother's illness and about what stays: feeling, connection and dignity. In Mijn Leven in Cirkels (2026) she wrote her personal story: she looks back on her experiences and explores how events, memories and stages of life are connected.
AnnaMaria and Puck is about discovering that you can direct your attention. Becoming aware gives you the chance to give direction to what you do yourself.
The world of AnnaMaria and Puck is not about solving problems, processing feelings or positive thinking. The six drawers are not a goal in themselves either. It is about a child who slowly discovers that a space can open up between what happens to her and what she does with it.
AnnaMaria does not get more and more answers. She finds more and more of her own direction. Not because she learns to control the world, but because she becomes more and more aware of herself, of what happens around her and inside her, of what matters to her, and of what her own part in an event can be.
Books for adults, in Dutch.
The app
Puck is a hundred-year-old AI cabinet, with the wisdom of a whole human life. It is there for anyone with a question from daily life: about yourself, your partner, a friend, a neighbour or your work, about the family or a parent growing old, or about a child. Puck has no opinions and never tells you what to do. It looks with you, drawer by drawer, and brings knowledge from Maria's books and reading guides. The books are picture books for children; the app is for adults.
A head full? Set the thoughts around you like pictures and look at them one by one. You choose which thought to begin with, and at which drawer. Each drawer comes with a question from the book, and a page from a Head Full with its picture. There are no points or stars, and nothing is right or wrong.
If you want to think further about a thought, you can talk with Puck in a drawer. Puck is not a coach. It gives no advice and no verdict, and it does not compare you with others. It sets out with you what happened, asks what you notice, looks with you at what it means for you and for the other person, and gives you an overview at the end. When Puck tells you something it knows or has looked up, it says where it comes from.
What you share with Puck and keep in your cabinet is yours and personal. With an account, Puck keeps it encrypted on our platform, so that it can remember you and look back with you. Nobody reads along. Maria only sees how often Puck is used, in totals of at least five people, and never what anyone wrote, unless you send it to us yourself. Only if violence at home or danger to a child comes up may the makers read that one conversation.
Read exactly what goes whereOn the iPhone, Puck is in a test phase now, through TestFlight, Apple’s test environment. First install TestFlight from the App Store, then tap below.
Join through TestFlightOn Android, Puck is in a closed test through Google Play. The button below works once the Google account on your phone is on our test list. Email that address to koen@mindfulnessinc.org and we will add it.
Join on AndroidTo talk with Puck you make an account, in the app, with just your email address. It opens at once.
Sign up14 Nov 2026 · Test release 28
Puck now also reads the stories aloud in English, and parents can choose a woman's or a man's voice in both English and Dutch.
iOSAndroid
13 Nov 2026 · Test release 26
Puck reads the stories aloud, and the word being read lights up so children can read along.
iOSAndroid
13 Nov 2026 · Live update
Parents can choose whether a woman's or a man's voice reads the stories aloud.
iOSAndroid
12 Nov 2026 · Live update
Sign-in codes and other mail from the app now come from Kusala.
iOSAndroidWeb App
11 Nov 2026 · Live update
Long answers from your companion no longer stop halfway through a sentence.
iOSAndroidWeb App
10 Nov 2026 · Test release 22
Tap a drawer in your Kastje and it opens, with a passage from the book and Puck's questions, and you can start a conversation with Puck from there.
iOSAndroid
10 Nov 2026 · Test release 21
Your Kastje now has one purple drawer, and what you kept on this phone before can go into it when you say yes.
iOSAndroid
10 Nov 2026 · Live update
A drawer's page now shows what you said there in earlier conversations, in your own words and with the date, and you can take any of it away.
iOSAndroid
9 Nov 2026 · Live update
Every week or month, as you choose, Puck invites you to look back together at what you kept from the purple drawer.
iOSAndroid
9 Nov 2026 · Live update
Puck put nu ook uit Kennismaken met AnnaMaria en Puck, het boek waarin Puck de laatjes uitlegt.
iOSAndroid
9 Nov 2026 · Live update
Owners can rename their companion in Settings, and every screen shows that name instead of its web key; the web address stays the same.
Web App
8 Nov 2026 · Test release 20
Onder Kastje kun je nu ook Kennismaken met AnnaMaria en Puck lezen, in het Nederlands en het Engels, vanaf het moment dat AnnaMaria Puck leert kennen.
iOSAndroid
8 Nov 2026 · Test release 19
In de Puck-app vraagt het Kastje niet meer wie je bent voor het kind.
iOSAndroid
6 Nov 2026 · Test release 18
Puck now sends its morning question to your iPhone as a push notification if you said yes to it, and stops when you switch it off.
iOS
6 Nov 2026 · Test release 18
You can now long-press a message in the app chat to copy its text.
iOSAndroid
6 Nov 2026 · Test release 18
Settings now shows what your companion knows about you from your answers, and you can change or delete each one.
iOSAndroid
6 Nov 2026 · Test release 18
The first questions your companion asks you, and its check-ins where it has them, now come one at a time on their own screens.
iOSAndroid
6 Nov 2026 · Test release 18
Moving between your chats and starting a new one is now clear: Chats is one list, New chat sits right there, and Back never opens a chat.
iOSAndroid
6 Nov 2026 · Test release 18
Companion messages in circle rooms and Puck's drawer now show bold, italics and lists.
iOSAndroid
3 Nov 2026 · Live update
Every companion has a trust page: what it is, what it keeps, and what it never does.
Web App
1 Nov 2026 · Live update
Spoken replies now start sooner, and the voice no longer stops for a moment before a very short sentence.
iOSAndroid
29 Oct 2026 · Test release 17
The six drawers in your cabinet tab fit on the screen again, two a row, each showing the open drawer and its object.
iOSAndroid
29 Oct 2026 · Test release 16
You now talk with Puck as soon as you open the app, and your cabinet and the book are together in one tab at the bottom.
iOSAndroid
29 Oct 2026 · Test release 16
When Puck opens a drawer in your conversation, you now see the picture of that drawer under the reply.
iOSAndroid
29 Oct 2026 · Test release 16
You can now create a Puck account in the app with just your email address, no website needed.
iOSAndroid
29 Oct 2026 · Test release 16
When you start, Puck asks if you would like a question in the morning. You can turn it on or off any time under About me.
iOSAndroid
29 Oct 2026 · Live update
Links in answers in the web chat, like talks on YouTube, can now be clicked and copied.
Web App
29 Oct 2026 · Live update
Puck now always invites the white drawer after facts and feelings, walks the whole cabinet with you before and after a talk, and says: breathe into your belly.
iOSAndroid
29 Oct 2026 · Live update
When you create your account, Puck's first question now asks who you feel responsible for and who you are to them: a child, someone else, or yourself.
iOSAndroid
29 Oct 2026 · Live update
Puck no longer uses words like 'eigenlijk', 'altijd' or 'een beetje' that only make a question heavier or softer.
iOSAndroid
29 Oct 2026 · Live update
Puck now brings short knowledge of its own with the source, repeats less, links each drawer to your situation and gives your own insights back.
iOSAndroid
24 Oct 2026 · Live update
Sign-in links in older emails take you straight to sign-in on the web again.
Web App
24 Oct 2026 · Live update
Reply length now offers short or medium. If you had picked long, Puck answers at its usual length for now.
iOSAndroid
23 Oct 2026 · Test release 13
You can now talk with Puck out loud and hear him answer. In Account you can turn his spoken replies off or pick another voice.
iOSAndroid
23 Oct 2026 · Live update
In the browser, the tab for your companion's web app now shows its own icon.
Web App
21 Oct 2026 · Live update
When you join Puck, your welcome mail now explains who Puck is and his six drawers, in Dutch or English, with how to get started.
iOSAndroidWeb App
20 Oct 2026 · Live update
The microphone now understands you when you speak Polish, and also Greek, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian and other languages it missed before.
iOSAndroid
19 Oct 2026 · Test release 11
On iPhone, the top of the Puck app sits below the clock again, so you can tap the language switch and the back button.
iOS
18 Oct 2026 · Test release 9
The sign-in code email you get from the Puck app now comes in Puck's name.
iOSAndroid
18 Oct 2026 · Live update
When you are given access, you now get an email that tells you how to sign in.
iOSAndroidWeb App
17 Oct 2026 · Live update
Puck's web app now lives at app.puck.mindfulnessinc.org. The old address still works for now.
Web App
17 Oct 2026 · Live update
Puck now has one page at puck.mindfulnessinc.org, with a button to sign in.
Web App
| Date | Release | What's new | iOS | Android | Web App |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Nov 2026 | Test release 28 | Puck now also reads the stories aloud in English, and parents can choose a woman's or a man's voice in both English and Dutch. | yes | yes | no |
| 13 Nov 2026 | Test release 26 | Puck reads the stories aloud, and the word being read lights up so children can read along. | yes | yes | no |
| 13 Nov 2026 | Live update | Parents can choose whether a woman's or a man's voice reads the stories aloud. | yes | yes | no |
| 12 Nov 2026 | Live update | Sign-in codes and other mail from the app now come from Kusala. | yes | yes | yes |
| 11 Nov 2026 | Live update | Long answers from your companion no longer stop halfway through a sentence. | yes | yes | yes |
| 10 Nov 2026 | Test release 22 | Tap a drawer in your Kastje and it opens, with a passage from the book and Puck's questions, and you can start a conversation with Puck from there. | yes | yes | no |
| 10 Nov 2026 | Test release 21 | Your Kastje now has one purple drawer, and what you kept on this phone before can go into it when you say yes. | yes | yes | no |
| 10 Nov 2026 | Live update | A drawer's page now shows what you said there in earlier conversations, in your own words and with the date, and you can take any of it away. | yes | yes | no |
| 9 Nov 2026 | Live update | Every week or month, as you choose, Puck invites you to look back together at what you kept from the purple drawer. | yes | yes | no |
| 9 Nov 2026 | Live update | Puck put nu ook uit Kennismaken met AnnaMaria en Puck, het boek waarin Puck de laatjes uitlegt. | yes | yes | no |
| 9 Nov 2026 | Live update | Owners can rename their companion in Settings, and every screen shows that name instead of its web key; the web address stays the same. | no | no | yes |
| 8 Nov 2026 | Test release 20 | Onder Kastje kun je nu ook Kennismaken met AnnaMaria en Puck lezen, in het Nederlands en het Engels, vanaf het moment dat AnnaMaria Puck leert kennen. | yes | yes | no |
| 8 Nov 2026 | Test release 19 | In de Puck-app vraagt het Kastje niet meer wie je bent voor het kind. | yes | yes | no |
| 6 Nov 2026 | Test release 18 | Puck now sends its morning question to your iPhone as a push notification if you said yes to it, and stops when you switch it off. | yes | no | no |
| 6 Nov 2026 | Test release 18 | You can now long-press a message in the app chat to copy its text. | yes | yes | no |
| 6 Nov 2026 | Test release 18 | Settings now shows what your companion knows about you from your answers, and you can change or delete each one. | yes | yes | no |
| 6 Nov 2026 | Test release 18 | The first questions your companion asks you, and its check-ins where it has them, now come one at a time on their own screens. | yes | yes | no |
| 6 Nov 2026 | Test release 18 | Moving between your chats and starting a new one is now clear: Chats is one list, New chat sits right there, and Back never opens a chat. | yes | yes | no |
| 6 Nov 2026 | Test release 18 | Companion messages in circle rooms and Puck's drawer now show bold, italics and lists. | yes | yes | no |
| 3 Nov 2026 | Live update | Every companion has a trust page: what it is, what it keeps, and what it never does. | no | no | yes |
| 1 Nov 2026 | Live update | Spoken replies now start sooner, and the voice no longer stops for a moment before a very short sentence. | yes | yes | no |
| 29 Oct 2026 | Test release 17 | The six drawers in your cabinet tab fit on the screen again, two a row, each showing the open drawer and its object. | yes | yes | no |
| 29 Oct 2026 | Test release 16 | You now talk with Puck as soon as you open the app, and your cabinet and the book are together in one tab at the bottom. | yes | yes | no |
| 29 Oct 2026 | Test release 16 | When Puck opens a drawer in your conversation, you now see the picture of that drawer under the reply. | yes | yes | no |
| 29 Oct 2026 | Test release 16 | You can now create a Puck account in the app with just your email address, no website needed. | yes | yes | no |
| 29 Oct 2026 | Test release 16 | When you start, Puck asks if you would like a question in the morning. You can turn it on or off any time under About me. | yes | yes | no |
| 29 Oct 2026 | Live update | Links in answers in the web chat, like talks on YouTube, can now be clicked and copied. | no | no | yes |
| 29 Oct 2026 | Live update | Puck now always invites the white drawer after facts and feelings, walks the whole cabinet with you before and after a talk, and says: breathe into your belly. | yes | yes | no |
| 29 Oct 2026 | Live update | When you create your account, Puck's first question now asks who you feel responsible for and who you are to them: a child, someone else, or yourself. | yes | yes | no |
| 29 Oct 2026 | Live update | Puck no longer uses words like 'eigenlijk', 'altijd' or 'een beetje' that only make a question heavier or softer. | yes | yes | no |
| 29 Oct 2026 | Live update | Puck now brings short knowledge of its own with the source, repeats less, links each drawer to your situation and gives your own insights back. | yes | yes | no |
| 24 Oct 2026 | Live update | Sign-in links in older emails take you straight to sign-in on the web again. | no | no | yes |
| 24 Oct 2026 | Live update | Reply length now offers short or medium. If you had picked long, Puck answers at its usual length for now. | yes | yes | no |
| 23 Oct 2026 | Test release 13 | You can now talk with Puck out loud and hear him answer. In Account you can turn his spoken replies off or pick another voice. | yes | yes | no |
| 23 Oct 2026 | Live update | In the browser, the tab for your companion's web app now shows its own icon. | no | no | yes |
| 21 Oct 2026 | Live update | When you join Puck, your welcome mail now explains who Puck is and his six drawers, in Dutch or English, with how to get started. | yes | yes | yes |
| 20 Oct 2026 | Live update | The microphone now understands you when you speak Polish, and also Greek, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian and other languages it missed before. | yes | yes | no |
| 19 Oct 2026 | Test release 11 | On iPhone, the top of the Puck app sits below the clock again, so you can tap the language switch and the back button. | yes | no | no |
| 18 Oct 2026 | Test release 9 | The sign-in code email you get from the Puck app now comes in Puck's name. | yes | yes | no |
| 18 Oct 2026 | Live update | When you are given access, you now get an email that tells you how to sign in. | yes | yes | yes |
| 17 Oct 2026 | Live update | Puck's web app now lives at app.puck.mindfulnessinc.org. The old address still works for now. | no | no | yes |
| 17 Oct 2026 | Live update | Puck now has one page at puck.mindfulnessinc.org, with a button to sign in. | no | no | yes |
