Children's Books on Tour Autumn 2021

Math grades don't count at the School of Talents, and (fortunately!) there's nothing like normal classes. Here, all the students...

Math grades don't count at the School of Talents, and (fortunately!) there's nothing like normal classes. Here, all the students possess special capabilities: some are shape-shifters, some can understand what animals say, and others can command water. Chaos is inevitable...  

Every book contains riddles to solve and dark secrets to discover.

Silke Schellhammer grew up in a large family in which many stories were told. They weren't necessarily true, but they were always good. The amazement at how great real and fictional events can coexist and that reality is ultimately a question of perception made her start writing.

Simona M. Ceccarelli has the talent to create views into other worlds on a sheet of paper. Before she studied art and illustrated children's media, she was a scientist. She lives in a world every bit as colorful as the one of the students in the School of Talents: she speaks four languages and there are three nationalities in her family.

Ada sits angrily in the moving van waiting for her parents, when suddenly a sheep jumps into the driver’s seat....

Ada sits angrily in the moving van waiting for her parents, when suddenly a sheep jumps into the driver’s seat. Lilli, the sheep with a nose ring and a leopard-skin fleece, hijacks the van – with Ada in it – and sets off to free the chickens from the chicken factory. Free the chickens! For Ada and the daredevil sheep, a wild and crazy adventure begins. As it happens, luck is always on herside – even when she meets Pepper, a boy who lives in an old observatory. A wonderfully comical story told with lots of funny pictures.

Judith Kleinschmidt, born in 1977, has worked on diverse film and theater projects – animated films, puppet theater, Spatzenkino (children’s movie theater in Berlin). She currently lives and works in Berlin as an author for children’s media. Sofabanditen (Sofa Bandits) is her first book for children.

T(op secret!)...

T(op secret!)

The new secret agent series combines coolness, a touch of romance, and a tonne of humor as Tessa stumbles into her first secret agent mission. Together with her Mongolian gerbil Hector, a talking sidekick, Tessa soon turns into a top-notch spy. Of course, she still retains her chaotic nature, making for lots of comical situations!

“(...) A somewhat wacky teenager and a somewhat overconfident rodent suddenly find themselves on the greatest adventure of their lives and Tessa, as a naive amateur, gets to show the full professionals what she’s made of. Add to that a dash of first love, a few clichés and situation comedy – and you have a hit read that is sure to captivate many girls."

wienerzeitung.at

Big, small, common and rare animals meet here for an unusual rendezvous: they are grouped by the colour of their...

Big, small, common and rare animals meet here for an unusual rendezvous: they are grouped by the colour of their feathers, fur, skin or scales. There are the yellow ones, the red ones, the green ones and many more – and all of them want to be re-discovered from their best side. The impressive animal photos are accompanied by fascinating background information and brief profiles. A captivating large-format picture book.

Andrea Köhrsen, by nature a graphic artist, has a creative and unusual perspective on the world of animals. With incredible instinct, she manages to effectively set the scene für each animal.

• More than 400 animals from across the globe – sorted by colour

• Stunning non-fiction picture book with fascinating animal photos and background information

An entertaining cat picture book in which two cat masters find each other...

An entertaining cat picture book in which two cat masters find each other

Kittens, it is said, are curious, playful and love canned fish. Axel Scheffler takes great pleasure in summing up all the cat wisdom conceived by Frantz Wittkamp. Whether cats are playing catch with mice or celebrating birthdays with rhubarb juice, they are always in good spirits, and enjoy going into the forest and singing.

Frantz Wittkamp works as a freelance graphic artist in Lüdinghausen and was awarded the Austrian State Prize. Beltz & Gelberg recently published his book Wenn Hasen gute Laune haben (When Hares Are in a Good Mood), illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

Axel Scheffler, born in 1957, lives in London. Beltz & Gelberg have published not only all his picture books (including The Gruffalo, created with Julia Donaldson), as well as many others.

Am I bi, lesbian or gay? What does trans really mean? How is it different from doing drag? This can...

Am I bi, lesbian or gay? What does trans really mean? How is it different from doing drag? This can all be a bit emotionally overwhelming, especially if you’re not (yet) sure about your own gender identity.

What’s all this LGBTQ+ Stuff About? is a guide for all children and young people who want to know more about the many diverse forms that gender identity can take. It isn’t a dry textbook, though: it is jokey and entertaining and pitched at exactly the right level for young readers on their thrilling journey into the unknown world of growing up. This book explains all the various terms, and also offers support when it comes to such things as harassment.

• The book’s central message is that readers should be encouraged to explore their own feelings

• Handy guide: explains the most important LGBTIQ+ terms

• “We can’t be pigeon-holed”: interviews with members of the LGBTIQ+ scene

• Written by two LGBTIQ+ podcasters

Sea creatures and icebergs, storm surges and deep-sea trenches – the oceans are full of fascinating knowledge adventures! With this...

Sea creatures and icebergs, storm surges and deep-sea trenches – the oceans are full of fascinating knowledge adventures! With this WAS IST WAS book, children aged 8 years and up explore the diversity of these water worlds. Marine biologists give a concise introduction to oceanography. Then we join research divers as they study underwater volcanoes. Exciting facts bring to life the era of the great sailing ships, when captains and sailors still believed in sea monsters. Clear texts, exciting interviews and stunning pictures make clear what is being done for the preservation of the oceans and what great challenges climate change poses to mankind. A fascinating topic, comprehensibly and vividly described!

They are simply everywhere: viruses are tiny and as old as life on earth. In order to reproduce, they “hijack”...

They are simply everywhere: viruses are tiny and as old as life on earth. In order to reproduce, they “hijack” the cells of living beings, which can lead to diseases. But not all viruses are dangerous! With numerous photos and illustrations, a well-structured layout and many explanations, this book sheds light on a special field of biology: virology. Exciting and descriptive, it explains that some viruses can trigger pandemics, but that viruses also have their good sides – without them, we humans would not exist!

Everything children could possibly want to know about water: a non-fiction book in collaboration with the charity Viva con Agua....

Everything children could possibly want to know about water: a non-fiction book in collaboration with the charity Viva con Agua.

Sara’s on holiday, and it’s raining nonstop. Wherever is all that water coming from? Leon jumps off the one-meter diving board – or does he? Water can be extremely painful. Friedrich is interested in the stream near his school. Nora wonders if there is water in the desert. But that’s not all. Why do tears taste salty? What happens during a christening? How much of our bodies is water? What is virtual water? All of these important questions are answered clearly and compellingly by this book.

Each of these little books is an entertaining search game for very young children, helping them develop their fine motor...

Each of these little books is an entertaining search game for very young children, helping them develop their fine motor skills and teaching them to recognise and name their favourite animals. The right-hand side of each of the book's five double pages features a large built-in, die-cut flap made from a felt-like fabric. Behind these flaps, children can explore a variety of animals in bold and colourful scenes. Brief texts inspire children to find the animal on the cover of each book and discover what's behind the flaps.

• Features 5 large, soft fabric flaps

• 3 more titles available in the series

Everyone uses it. All day, hour after hour. The Internet! But does everybody understand the Internet? For instance, how does...

Everyone uses it. All day, hour after hour. The Internet! But does everybody understand the Internet? For instance, how does anonymity work on the dark web? And is everything on it illegal? Why do people bully others so viciously online? Can I write and post whatever I like on social media? Why is everyone so concerned about user data? Psychologist Nora Wunderlich, IT security expert Tobias Schrödel, and lawyer Christian Solmecke provide the answers, interspersed with funny anecdotes and examples.

Tobias Schrödel was given his first computer at the age of ten and initially taught himself how to programme it. Today he appears on TV (RTL, Stern TV and elsewhere) as an IT information specialist and internationally recognized expert on IT security. He lives with his family in Munich.

Nora Wunderlich studied primary education and psychology before training as a psychotherapist in behavioural therapy. As one of the Y generation, she is the perfect person to delve into what goes on in the digital world. She lives and works in Munich.

Christian Solmecke is a lawyer, YouTuber and Legal Tech entrepreneur. He lives in Cologne. He wrote his first computer programme at the age of 15. As a Law-YouTuber and father of a 13-year-old son, he knows all the tricks of the legal trade that lie in wait for digital natives.

They fight for the environment, minorities and equality, and are actively involved in campaigning against the gun lobby, discrimination and...

They fight for the environment, minorities and equality, and are actively involved in campaigning against the gun lobby, discrimination and corruption. 25 young people fighting for a better world.

Benjamin Knödler was born in 1991 and studied philosophy and social sciences at Humboldt University in Berlin. He works as a freelance journalist and is the online and community editor for the weekly newspaper Der Freitag.

Christine Knödler, born in 1967, is a freelance journalist, critic and presenter and lives in Munich. She writes and edits for publishers, newspapers, magazines and the radio broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.