Austria
63
Addai, Patrick K. (text)
Hübner, Robert (illus.)
Das Schnarchen der Ungeheuer : Sasabonsam; afrikanische Drachengeschichte
(The monsters’ snoring : Sasabonsam; an African tale about dragons)
Leonding : Verl. Adinkra, 2006. – 71 p.
ISBN 3-9501083-4-3
Africa – Village – Adolescent – Initiation – Tradition
Some
time ago, the sons of an African king had promised their father to present him
with precious burial gifts after his death as a token of their love; the
youngest son even vowed to fetch a monster’s head from faraway jungles. When
the father dies unexpectedly, no one believes that the boy will be able to
keep his promise. Yet try he must. With the help of magic charms and by
summoning all of his inner strength, the boy fulfils his task. Both the
pictures and the strong images of the text transport readers into a primordial
world, determined by nature and in harmony with spiritual forces. The
captivating narrative style bears witness to the Ghanaen author’s success as
a storyteller. Earthen-coloured full-page pictures pro-vide an expressive
interpretation of the text (6+)
64
Axster, Lilly (text)
Aebi, Christine (illus.)
Almhofer, Edith (ed.)
Jenny, sieben (Jenny, seven)
Gumpoldskirchen [ et al.] : De’A, 2006. – [44] p.
(Panoptikum)
ISBN 3-901867-25-2
Parents – Separation – Father – Daughter
Max
and Jenny, father and daughter, want to celebrate Jenny’s seventh birthday
together. Since the parents’ separation, the two don’t know much about
each other anymore and so they feel a bit nervous and insecure. At first, the
situation is fairly uncomfortable but eventually a game saves the day. Both
say exactly the opposite of what they really (don’t) want to do. They start
laughing and feel more relaxed so that the party with various guests can
finally start. Based on the theatre play »Daughter’s day«, this book seems
to translate directly from the acting onstage, with the pencil- and
colour-pencil drawings setting the stage action in an abstract space. The text
relates the dialogue between the protagonists while narrative passages serve
as connecting »stage directions«. (7+)
65
Grossmann-Hensel, Katharina (text/illus.)
Wie Mama und Papa Verliebte wurden (How Mum and Dad turned into lovers)
Wien [et al.] : Betz, 2006. – [28] p.
ISBN 3-219-11249-8
Parents – Falling in love – Marriage – Childhood memory – Storytelling
As
everybody knows, small children find it hard to imagine that there was a time
when their parents did not yet know each other. Two individualists – the
chaotic and imaginative mother and the extremely orderly father – are both
longing for their perfect counterpart; and then they bump into each other. The
collision could not have been any more extreme. On a metaphoric level, it
resembles the love for colours meeting the love for black-white-and-grey.
Nevertheless, counterbalancing each other’s opposing qualities, the two
partners reach a state of harmony and their life together offers an exciting
story to their son. One question remains, however: Even if, in the end, it is
clear how and when they met, the reason why they did still remains a mystery.
The story is presented in convincingly detailed pictures and text. (6+) ¤
66
Kuhn, Nina (text)
Kuschel, Yvonne (illus.)
Lilli, machst du Quatsch? (Lilli, are you up to something?)
St. Pölten [et al.] : Residenz-Verl., 2006. – [32] p.
ISBN 3-7017-2007-X
Girl – Curiosity – Mischief – Mother – Education
No
obstacle, big or small, seems to prevent Lilli from inventing her own »games«,
such as: cutting off the doll’s braids, drawing on the bathroom tiles,
emptying supermarket shelves, pinching some jam, flooding the flat, etc.
Whenever the child is particularly quiet, her parents call out: »Lilli, are
you up to something?« »No-o-o-o!«, comes Lilli’s retort. That’s all.
Yet on the following textless page, the readers are confronted with the next
dangerous situation, with yet another catastrophe. Question and answer remain
the same throughout the
book. The small family, drawn as colourful stick figures, seems fairly happy
despite all their organisational problems. The strength of this light-hearted
tale lies in the fact that it invites the readers to come up with their own
interpretation. (6+)
Special Mention
67
Sulzenbacher, Gudrun (text)
Surrey, Detlef (illus.)
Vom Büchermachen : wie Ötzi ins Buch kam (Making books : how Ötzi the Iceman ended up in a book)
Wien : Folio Verl., 2006. – 64 p. + poster
ISBN 978-3-85256-321-3
Book – Production – Publisher – Publishing
This is a book that all readers, big or small, will love. It introduces the process of making (non-fiction) books in great detail, partly using the author’s own, highly praised book »Die Gletschermumie« (The glacier mummy) as an example. Text and pictures explain how the book-to-be gets to the publisher (as idea or manuscript) and passes through various departments step by step until, with the help of modern technologies, it has turned into the finished product. Then it travels from the publisher or distributor to the bookstore into the hands of its readers. A particularly eye-catching feature is the number of printed »Post-it«-notes scattered throughout the book, which contain technical terms about publishing. With its clear structure, informative content, and beautiful layout and design, this non-fiction book leaves nothing to be desired. Interested readers will discover that pro-fessional book production is a delightful, though complex and time-consuming undertaking. (10+)