Hanna Jansen, Leonard Erlbruch Bottom in the Hay A story about arriving in a new home When Jakob moved to the countryside in the summer, he thought everything was stupid. Life as a threesome with his mother’s boyfriend Hannes, the villagers, their dogs, the smell – just everything. But then Pia turned up and showed…
Peter Hammer Verlag
Friederike Dammermann Not Without My Duck Giraffe and Duck sit in the bathtub, warble a song and feel: there is talent at play here; it demands a microphone and a stage! In a paper boat they paddle into the harbour of the big city. And really, success is not long in coming. Giraffe and Duck…
Brigitte Schär, Heike Herold The Christmas Party At Christmas of all times, the triplets Lola, Linus and Levin have to do without their grandparents, who are on holiday recovering from looking after the children. Now the three children want to ask Father Christmas to be their grandfather, at least over the holidays. On the morning…
Susanne Straßer Soup’s Ready! 12 o’clock – time for soup! Everyone knows what goes in: the horse brings a red turnip. Lid open – lid closed. The goat brings tender twigs, the dog a crunchy bone, the squirrel fresh spruce cones. Lid open – lid closed. Finally ready: Bon appétit! But what if the soup…
Sensitively told, luminously staged The little story by Jürg Schubiger—discovered in the great Swiss author‘s estate—looks into a distant night. Into a time in which everything is still intact and lasts forever.Adam and Eve lie on a cushion of moss and look up at the stars, dense as snowflakes. Surrounded by everything they need and…
Wieke is angry. She likes neither Xandra, her dad‘s new girlfriend, nor her annoying little daughter. And now she is supposed to spend her holiday in an Italian mountain village with them! When Ken comes along, the refugee boy from Nigeria for whom Xandra has taken over guardianship, Wieke has had enough. As it happens,…
How about that! After more than two decades, there finally is a Christmas successor to Nadia Budde‘s One Two Three Me. In a handy gift book format, One Two Three Reindeer nicely fits into Santa‘s Christmas bag and any Secret Santa package or stocking. Again, it is as simple as it is ingenious: three Christmas…
“Come on, let‘s read a book!“ calls the child and right away everyone sits on the sofa: the zebra, the cat, the child, the hamster, the lion. They are ready to go. “Wait!“ whinnies the zebra, “the stork isn‘t here yet!“ Here he comes. So they can get started now. As if. The cat needs…
Jacob is really cheesed off that Mum has moved to the country with him, just because she wants to live with her boyfriend Hannes. And yet they had a nice time together in their small apartment under the roof. Jacob is disgruntled as he roams through the fields. He feels left out and dwells on…
The girl on the book was me A middle grade novel about the power of language and literature When Lama’s mother leaves for Morocco to trace her roots, the eleven-year-old girl feels abandoned. Even more so because her best friend has also moved away. If that hadn’t been the case, the stupid thing wouldn’t have…
Did you ever kill a rabbit when you were young? Or did you study something that doesn’t interest you? There’s a second chance! Henning Wagenbreth turns back the time in Land in Reverse and you can do all those things again and better. In panels, full-page illustrations and with spot-on rhymes, the Berlin-based illustrator…
The Bukowskis fight their way through The Bukowski siblings have had a long summer at the lido. The days are getting shorter – but no less exciting! For Alf, the narrator, who finally takes up boxing and still thinks about the beautiful Johanna. (So often that he drops his guard while boxing and that hurts!)…
“Hurry up,“ says mum. “I‘ll be right there,“ says Peter. With a glance at her watch, the mother urges him to be quick. But Peter is detained by major sensations that demand his full attention: The beetle on the stairs, a thousand flying umbrellas in the summer air and the very friendly dog next door….
Nature, Humans and the Future of Our Planet We have reshaped our planet in such a way that we have almost brought it to its knees. How could it come to this? Why do we destroy what keeps us alive? And what is left to do about it now? The authors jump right into the…
When Alice Littlebird, a girl from the people of the Cree, is separated from her family and taken to the Black Lake Residential School, she loses everything. The nuns take away her clothes and shave off her hair. She is not allowed to speak her language and is forced to pray to a God she…
Together, Pit and Pelle are big enough to do the shopping for dinner by themselves this time. They set off with dad‘s shopping list. Pit pushes his little brother through the supermarket in the shopping trolley and Pelle manages to reach everything. When they are done with the list, they add all those things that…
Fox drives a car. Tap tap, with his feet. Slow at first, then faster and faster. Over gravel – helter-skelter! Through puddles – splash! The fox whizzes through the pictures so fast that he doesn’t even notice others hopping on on every double page: mouse and mole, beetle and rabbit. The child comes running as…
Oscar is Dad’s brother. He wants to move into the house where the whole family already lives. “Is he like you?”, asks Mum. “No, different”, says Dad. “Then he can start by trimming the hedge”, says Mum. “He won’t do that”, says Dad. Then Oscar arrives and only does what he wants. He does not…
An whole summer in the sunshine Because the Bukowski siblings have saved a toddler from drowning at the indoor pool, they are famous for a few days. But the entrance card for the outdoor pool, which they receive as a reward for their heroic deed, is far better than the glory: free entry throughout a…
When bus driver Ben Brause wants to start his bus on Monday morning, an unusual passenger comes running at the last moment: It is a dung beetle who rolls a huge dung ball in front of him and actually heaves the stinking thing into the bus. There are complaints about the smell immediately, although this…
Animalistic Two-Parters Two images and a cracking two-liner—Nadia Budde doesn’t need more than this to tell a funny story on a single double page spread! Just like this: Image no. 1: A late-adolescent kangaroo begrudgingly leaves the pouch of its annoyed mother. Image no. 2: The nursery is finally vacated, but there are two conspicuous…
Tim is not at a loss for excuses. In fact, he is in desperate need of excuses—every day of the week. On Monday, because he’s late for school. On Tuesday, because he forgets his socks. On Wednesday, because he brings home a dog instead of the shopping. That’s the way it works all through the…
If the new kid at school is called Chlodwig, then he is bound to have a hard time. And if, on top of that he wears his hair parted and polished shoes, he is most likely brilliant at maths, but absolutely no good at playing football. And that‘s exactly how it is with Chlodwig. The…
A teemingly funny picture book about chaos and order What a wonderful mess this is! Dozens of colourful tiny animals are bustling about the white pages. On two, four or more legs, with feathers, fins and tentacles. Scrawly and somehow in a good mood. Then someone calls for a bit of order: Please queue up…
Today is bath day. The whale takes a bath. Lovely! But what the whale enjoys is also craved by the others—as is to be expected. Here they are already and keen to join the whale amidst the bubbles: The tortoise, because her back hurts, the beaver, because he is cold, the flamingo, because his legs…
A story about finding, holding on, and letting go With pictures that are touching and, in a quiet way, funny The moment Mrs. Trueheart, the piano teacher, walks by the poulterer’s store and lays eyes on the white drake, she doesn’t have to think. She just knows: the name of this bird is Ellington. And…
This love story starts at both ends of the book … and the happy ending is in the middle! Viola is in love with Storm and Storm is in love with Viola. Their hearts are both in turmoil but neither one of them has the slightest idea how the other is doing. Doubts rob them…
On silent paws A suspenseful children’s book prompting a fascination with wolves A wolf is trotting through the Mark of Brandenburg. He caught prey for his family, as the little ones are already in need of meat and show the urge to leave the cave. Only Blackear, the smallest whelp, appears still weak and mother…
Long overdue: The sequel to One Two Three Me New unexpected rhymes for the youngest In 1999, Nadia Budde’s first picture book was published: One Two Three Me – it was hailed as a stroke of genius, won the most prestigious awards, and has long since become a classic. The author and the publisher agreed:…
One heart and two names A children’s book about friendship Maxima, the little blonde first grader girl with the gap between her front teeth brings light into David’s life. She drew a heart and wrote their names inside – Maxima loves him! The boy from Nigeria is so happy about her affection that he, finally,…
Everyone with family, friends and colleagues will value this birthday calendar. Properly managed, this will be a reliable reminder of birthdays for decades. Wolf Erlbruch’s perpetual birthday calendar is beautifully designed, clearly laid out and offers lots of space for notes, even if thee are several birthdays on the same day. Peter Hammer…
From now on, it will all be different A story about bullying with a liberating ending Finn feels queasy with fear on his way to school – every morning. This has been going on for weeks because of the three boys from his class, who wait for him in the schoolyard to make his life…
King will come! – this sentence, spoken by the mother, bathes everything in a new light. The boy, his parents and the baby have been in this new country for three days. Only King isn’t here, his dog and best friend. But King will follow and find them! But how is King to find the…
14-year-old Juni lives with her dad in Potsdam most of the time—fortunately! Her mother is a real control freak; there’s a fixed schedule for everything, there is no provision for leeway. Juni hates that so much! And now she is to spend her holidays at her mum’s place in Berlin, because her father needs to…
Ten tykes – full of beans Finger rhymes are meant to introduce some form of order within the bustle of seemingly endless shorter and longer tiny fingers. There is not one child that doesn’t love finger rhymes! Rhyming and playing is an excellent combination. The gang of five sets out as is customary in finger…
Tired, yet wide awake; the eternal bedtime issue! And there are many characters in this perky board book who cannot with all the will in the world fall asleep. Hedgehog, Fox, Donkey, Pelican and Crocodile are so tired. Only Seal is wide awake. He skips out of bed—he needs the loo. Now Crocodile is wide…
The more colorful, the better! A cardboard picture book about the fun of being different Even the youngest kids will understand it right away: This story is about two individuals, who couldn’t be more different if they tried. Anotherway is tall, Different is short. She is made of cotton wool and he is made of…
Who Am I, Really? An enchanting poetic diary in cartoon style Viola—no longer a child, but not yet an adult—ponders life’s big and small questions. Her thoughts and emotions evolve around friendship and the fear of being ostracised. Around the trouble with her family, love and the support that comes with it. Around boys, looks…
Scary Poems for Brave Children What could be more enjoyable than to get the creeps? Arne Rautenberg revives the undead and has them rattle, slime and screech through his poems. Skeletons, cyclops, zombies and frops. He rhymes with wonderfully disgusting ingredients and has huge fun with syllables, words and their sound. And as creeps and…
In many families Christmas Eve is no longer very sacred. Fidgety children, nervous parents. The house must be cleaned, the tree decorated, the duck crispy. The giving of the gifts takes place at an appointed time and deserves its own festive context. This is just what Jonas, Julia and Janni want and that’s why the…
It was an ordinary day when God turned up. A place like many others, between the tower blocks, where the bins are placed. The boy on the swings immediately saw that it was God; this bloke in the old jacket and weird hat. When the boy joined God for a walk, he wasn’t afraid of…
Magnificent Story Between Heaven and Hell When Luci joins the class, it quickly becomes apparent that he is no child like the others. The little horn peaks on his head and his hoof leave little room for doubt: Luci is a young devil straight from hell. Devils, even little ones, can do things others are…
Even though bears of various kinds lived in the town—black and white, striped and nicely coiffed—one of them always stood out: Linus. His fur was so scraggy that you could only see the tip of his nose. He didn’t work and danced through the streets like a spinning top. This bear was a hair-raising nuisance….
Nadia Budde’s hero is no longer the master in his own house, because he has a permanent resident: the rat. Day after day he finds the rat on his doormat when he gets home; huge and in good humour. Once she’s inside the house, she puts on his slippers and makes herself at home: on…
Little Mehrnousch and her three siblings, children of a surgeon, have a privileged childhood in the lovely city of Isfahan in Iran in the 70s. Like most others, the family celebrates the eviction of the Shah as a fortunate event—little do they expect that the new ruler Ayatollah Chomeini would establish a despotic rule and…
Lisa is a single child. She has a good time with her mum and dad. But all of a sudden she begins to experience most extraordinary things and her mum expects another baby after all. The oddities begin when Lisa’s teacher, Mrs. Fish, seems to be having a doppelgänger. With this look-alike, Lisa goes on…
Everyone can swing and slide, but seesawing is the ultimate discipline at the playground, because there are only two options: utter frustration or huge fun! Susanne Straßer puts an elephant onto the seesaw and it is immediately clear that an entire menagerie of lightweights will be needed in order to achieve an up and down…
Whether you are three years of age or a big child: you will immediately take the little lion and the little clown to your heart! This lovely book includes eight little stories about the two children from the circus: How the little lion once urgently had to have its hair cut, but couldn’t sit still…
Africa—with 54 states, more than 1,000 languages and the youngest population of the world—is multicoloured and multifaceted, age-old and modern. This diversity is rarely addressed in Europe’s narrative about the “dark continent”. It clings to the fairy-tale of Africa’s lack of history and political insignificance with incredible tenacity. Current media portraits remain reduced to terrible…
Berlin based comic artist Henning Wagenbreth has discovered a number of ballads in Robert Louis Stevenson’s work that are entirely unknown. Fascinated by the power of these stories, he has translated one of them into German and has illustrated it: The Pirate and the Apothecary—”a jewel filled with colourful facets of good and bad, honour…
Chemistry and Alchemy for the Unafraid When we think of chemistry, we envisage scientists in white lab coats that handle conical flasks and raw chemicals over Bunsen burners in their laboratory. Or we think of complicated formulae which we already failed to understand in school. Who would have thought that today’s white-lab-coats’ chemistry has a…
The crossover between a human being and an animal is blurry. In any case the crossover between some people and animals. Who doesn’t know the swimmer at the open air pool who emerges from the water with a bald round head, round eyes and a large moustache and resembles a popular sea animal so amazingly…
We all occasionally dream of being a little prettier. Taller, slimmer, a bit more muscular, somewhat blonder. We are not alone with our vanities! Nadia Budde gets a lot of zany characters on the pages of her picture book – neighbours, relatives, friends – and we immediately realize their little imperfections. Too many kilograms, a…
At the bottom is the bear, he’s hungry. At the top is the cake. Tasty, sweet and out of reach. This story has begun before you’ve even opened the book and even the very young will grasp the problem at one glance. Not to be able to reach – that is precisely what they experience…
What do philosophers do when they philosophise? Books that deal with philosophy tell of great thinkers, their views and their lives. Philosophising itself remains in the dark. How it works, how it fosters creative and independent thinking, is now demonstrated by Jens Soentgen. He introduces the most popular and effective practices of philosophy, not abstract,…
It is difficult to say what love is. But this much is clear: it is something to do with kissing or so. Two in Love is a little gift book for all those who contemplate love. Wondering who wants to kiss whom and who may or even should do so. Wondering about the before and after. The longing,…
Leonard loves dogs and he knows everything about them. But at the same time he fears nothing as much as dogs. Until one day a little fairy appears on his bed cover and fulfills his biggest wish: she transforms him into a dog. But now something unexpected happens: Leonard the dog fears nothing as much…
Five animals meet in the shade of an old bridge: hyena, rat, spider, bat and toad – the frightful five! They are not there to make any mischievous plans; rather they are all very unhappy because nobody really likes them. But after a while the five become tired of their moaning and make plans to…
A man catches an eagle and brings it up amongst chickens. The eagle eventually lives like the chickens until one day, a naturalist passes by and immediately recognizes the bird as an eagle. That’s where the story begins. by Wolf Erlbruch & James Aggrey Peter Hammer Verlag | hc | 32 pp | 215 x…