[1][2] For his children's book Winterijs he won the Woutertje Pieterse Prijs 2002 as well as the Gouden Griffel 2002 award and the Nienke van Hichtum-prijs 2003.

[6] Winterijs tells the story of a ten year old living in Amsterdam in the winter of 1947 developing a friendship with a Jewish boy.

[7] The story is inspired by van Gestel's brother's friendship with a Jewish boy when both were also ten years old.

[7] Van Gestel does not consider the book to be an autobiography but acknowledges that there are many similarities between the characters and people from his youth.

[1][4][8][9] In 1986, he adapted the book Het wassende water (1925) written by Herman de Man to television.