Tomke Digs

“Lena Hach and Julia Dürr sensitively and impressively demonstrate that sometimes there is no need for a reason or a goal. Childlike play is often enough in the moment, self-forgetfulness replaces goal-orientated activity and is pure enjoyment in itself. This can then quickly stop and make way for other activities.
Tomke’s silence is an expression of this self-forgetfulness. In the text, we only read the perspectives of the others, each in short statements. In the picture, we see Tomke and his hole, which gets deeper and deeper and increasingly seems to represent the fantasy of the others rather than Tomke’s actual digging. This gives the picture a utopian function, which also sets the scene for the others’ attempts to make sense of Tomke’s actions. The pictures […] place Tomke at the centre and allow the others to become increasingly marginalised visually. Only the text stubbornly remains with the adults, but this need not impress the child. In this respect, it is also a picture book about childlike emancipation. Highly recommended.” – Arbeitsgemeinschaft Jugendliteratur und Medien der GEW (AJuM) 

“Tomke digs in the garden. While adults and siblings give lots of advice, Tomke continues to dig. Dürr’s pictures expand the succinct text and show a child who plays obliviously. A picture book that celebrates childhood and childlike play in text and pictures.” – German Academy for Children’s Literature

“Lena Hach captivates from the very first word and Julia Dürr creates a pleasant natural scenery with a pinch of fantasy using sensitive colour compositions.” – Antje Ehmann, Entdeckerkiste

“… a magical story about the happiness of the moment and that you don’t always have to have a plan in life, but can simply be in the moment.
An inspiring read with an ending that is a beginning.” – BiBu Kreativ

“A picture book just to my taste: With few, pointed words and expressive illustrations.” – Instagram @tomstollebilderbücher

“A beautiful homage to the […] self-forgetfulness of children.” –FALTER

“A sensitive, colorful book about free play, brought to life with impressive illustrations by Julia Dürr.” – Jana Mikota, Siegener Zeitung

“A story that we should pick up with our kids every day and be inspired by.” – Instagram @liesa_kinderbuchbloggerin

“Lena Hach tells Tomke’s story in a few words, which otherwise lives from the visual language. Julia Dürr’s drawings […] capture the action and direct the reader’s gaze to the essentials. The more people are added, the more the pictures fill up, as each character brings an unspoken story with them. Sometimes it is an object in the hand of one of the observers, sometimes it is a facial expression or the interaction of two characters and then there are also small focusing scenes that line up and form a sequence of images that almost seem like movements.” – kunterbuntundnochvielmehr.blogspot.com