Switzerland
(German)
97
Bougaeva, Sonja (text/illus.)
Barnie
<proper name>
Zürich : Atlantis, 2006. – [28] p.
ISBN 3-7152-0515-6
Dog – Dog owner – Moodiness – Escape
If
a bad-tempered man constantly bullies his amiable little dog and never shows
any concern for the pet’s needs (»Shame on you, Barnie!«, »Come here
immediately!«, »Stop that noise!« etc.), then it is bound to happen one day:
Together with one of his fellow dogs, Barnie escapes. True, the flight itself
with the two dogs at the steering wheel of a delivery van is a bit far-fetched;
still, Barnie seems truly relieved. The contrast between the evil dog owner
and the dog, who is happy at last, is presented in such a convincing
combination of text and pictures that there is no need for any comment on the
action other than the child’s final question: »Dad, where is Barnie?« The
answer is evident: The dog has left. (4+) ¤
98
Kiefer, Gabriele (text)
Graupner, Sylvia (illus.)
Meine erste Hochzeit (My first wedding)
Zürich : Bajazzo-Verl., 2006. – [28] p.
ISBN 3-907588-73-8
Girl – Wish – Wedding
»In
the past, every little girl wanted to marry her father« – or so Dad says.
»Well, that must have been a very long time ago«, answers the small,
wedding-crazy protagonist of this cheeky picture book with its slightly
caricature-like illustrations. All of the relatives she asks offer some good
advice, but only her best friend (and the tiny Cupid-putto fluttering about)
get to the heart of the matter: She needs to learn how to kiss. Little Robert,
whom she never even noticed before, agrees to teach her (»But you were not
allowed to dribble«). That settles it, and Robert is the one to marry! It may
be some consolation to the parents that, after such a first wedding, a young
girl may still live at home for a while. (5+)
99
Pin, Isabel (text/illus.)
Ein Regentag im Zoo (A rainy day in the zoo)
Zürich : Bajazzo-Verl., 2006. – [24] p.
ISBN 3-907588-68-1
Zoo – Father – Daughter
Anna
and her father go to the zoo. It’s a rainy day and all the animals hide
inside their »houses«. Father and daughter are eager to visit certain
animals and are wondering where each one might be living. On every cardboard
page, readers see a dwelling specially built for one of the animals. They are
asked to find out which architecture was constructed for which inhabitant. The
questions are easily answered by opening the flaps in the book. The
illustrator presents these buildings as abstract form-clusters, against a
background of idyllic and pastoral vegetation. Everything is drawn in quiet
colours with clear-cut outlines to create an unpretentious
novelty-picture-book with a lot of charm. (3+)
100
Wittkamp, Frantz (text)
Brosinski, Jenny (illus.)
Gute Nacht – oder : der lange Weg ins Bett (Good night – or : the long way to bed)
Zürich : Atlantis, 2006. – [28] p.
ISBN 3-7152-0516-4
Falling asleep – Storytelling
This
outstanding bedtime story introduces a multitude of stops that you have to
pass until you finally reach your bed. There is the blue house and the bronze
horse with its rider – be careful not to get sidetracked by other things
like the cat on the roof or the crying woman who seems to be looking for it
– then you pass by the post office and »over there to the right, you see an
old streetlight«. On each new page, readers discover a deli-cately drawn
chaos of many different events through which they will only get by sticking
exactly to the written directions. It is easy to imagine that all these
adventures will make children so tired that they are happy to fall asleep at
the end. The rhymed text offers a calming rhythm and inspires readers to
repeat it to-gether and learn it by heart. (5+) ¤
101
Zippert, Hans (text)
Hurzlmeier, Rudi (illus.)
Weihnachtsmänner frisst man nicht (You mustn’t gulp down Santa Claus)
Zürich : Kein & Aber, 2006. – 77 p.
ISBN 3-03-695235-7
Africa – Lion – Christmas – Santa Claus – Present
Heribert’s father, the leader of the lion pack, simply loves hunting down »raw-meat-owners«. Since Heribert does not share this passion, Father Lion is (almost) convinced that he was accidentally swapped at birth: A lion who wears glasses, collects stamps, and eats vegetarian food sticks out from the pack. When Santa Claus swoops down on the savannah to practise for his annual delivery of presents, the old lion pushes him off the sledge and devours two of his reindeer. This leaves the lions with an organisational problem, and it is Heribert who has a field day solving it. The witty complications that the lions face when organising the delivery of gifts are presented in a hilarious voice. Full-page pictures in surrealistic colours ac-company the entrancing text. (10+)