German Book Wagon

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Miep, der Außerirdische

Title: Miep, der Außerirdische Author & illustrator: Nina Dulleck Publisher: Loewe Year of publication: 2016 Pages: 80 ISBN: 9783785585191

Miep schlurft gelangweilt durch das Astro-Museum, als ihm ein Pastatid namens Nudel in die Arme springt! So ein kleines Weltraumtier hat sich Miep immer gewünscht. Schon steckt er mitten in einem spannenden Abenteuer. Denn er muss nicht nur seinen Papa davon überzeugen, Nudel behalten zu dürfen, sondern ihn auch noch vor Museumswärtern und neugierigen Astronauten beschützen.

Miep the little alien, unlike his dad, is not particularly enthusiastic about a visit to the space museum, but he changes his mind when he unexpectedly acquires as a pet one of the little creatures on display there, a Pastatid. Nudel the Pastatid is cute and heaps of fun, but he also proves to be a source of trouble, gobbling up food and jumping around all over the place.

A particularly amusing feature of the book is the background presence on several pages of aliens who say lots of funny, tongue-twisting, alien-like things: ‘Grommel, offelnok zup.’ ‘Hurz?’ ‘Glubb! Glibbglubb! Glonk?’ ‘Nönk! Nönkelnönk!’

This title is perfect as a child’s first chapter book. Every page is illustrated, and with three or four sentences per page, there is enough text to tell the story without being overwhelming. There are also another two books in the series, so that is plenty of reading fun for you and your child!

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Die große Osterei-Malerei

Title: Die große Osterei-Malerei Author: Hans-Christian Schmidt Illustrator: Andreas Német Publisher: Oetinger Year of publication: 2017 Pages: 14 ISBN: 9783789104879

Herr Hase hämmert bei Tag und Nacht. Was ist es wohl, was er heir macht? »Ich bau«, sagt er mit froher Miene, »’ne Osterei-Bemalmaschine.«

Eine lustige Ostergeschichte mit vielen Schiebern, Drehscheiben und Klappen zum Mitmachen.

This is a clever little book in which the Easter Bunny builds himself an Easter egg machine. This machine collects, cooks, paints, decorates, and recollects the eggs. It is constructed from the components of all sorts of household appliances, furniture, and equipment, and is operated by hens, mice, and hamsters.

The attention to detail is wonderful. Something new is discovered almost each time it is read, and there are a number of sliding and rotating elements for small fingers to play with, simulating the movement of machine parts.

The illustrations are cheerful and amusing, with many of the animals appearing to be precariously placed on the egg machine, and the rhyming text flows smoothly.

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Osterhase dringend gesucht!

Title: Osterhase dringend gesucht! Author: Annette Langen Illustrator: Pina Gertenbach Publisher: Loewe Year of publication: 2018 Pages: 32 ISBN: 9783785588543

Dieses Jahr will der Osterhase auch mal in den Skiurlaub – aber deswegen darf natürlich das Osterfest nicht ausfallen! Damit alle bunten Eier rechtzeitig in den Osternestern landen, macht er sich kurzerhand auf die Suche nach einem Stellvertreter. Leider können nicht alle Tiere in den wichtigen Disziplinen glänzen: Der Elefant ist viel zu trampelig im Umgang mit den zerbrechlichen Eiern, das Faultier ist beim Verstecken zu langsam und die Affen machen nur Affenquatsch. Gibt es wirklich niemanden, der einspringen kann?

When the Easter Bunny decides he would like a holiday during Easter, he finds it quite a challenge to find someone who can fulfil his role. He meets several candidates, but none of them seem suitable. The sloth falls asleep and the monkey is too silly, but the Easter Bunny soon realises that the tasks can be divided: the elephant can spray paint onto the eggs with his trunk, and the kangaroo can hop around and hide them (elephants do not hop very well).

The illustrations are fun and colourful. I rather like the facial expressions of the Easter Bunny, especially when confronted with the shortcomings of the various applicants.

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Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt

Title: Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt Author & illustrator: Eric Carle Translator: Viktor Christen Publisher: Gerstenberg Year of publication: 2015 (42nd edition) Pages: 26 ISBN: 9783836941365

Auch kleine Raupen können großen Hunger haben. Deshalb macht sich die Raupe Nimmersatt auf die Suche nach etwas zu essen – und wird fündig. Sie frisst sich von Montag bis Sonntag Seite für Seite durch einen Berg von Leckereien, bis sie endlich satt ist. Nun ist die Zeit gekommen, sich einen Kokon zu bauen, und nach zwei Wochen des Wartens schlüpft aus ihm ein wunderschöner Schmetterling.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a classic of children’s literature and is popular in several languages. The book offers so much for all, be it fingerholes and vibrant colours for small children, foods and days of the week for older children, or the universal idea of fulfilling potential represented by the transformation of the caterpillar into a butterfly.

The text of the German translation is compact and flows smoothly. A subtle difference to the English is the emphasis on not yet being full (satt) rather than on being hungry (hungrig), and thus the use in the title of the elegant Nimmersatt (insatiable) as opposed to sehr hungrig (very hungry).

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Badetag für Hasenkind

Title: Badetag für Hasenkind Author & illustrator: Jörg Mühle Publisher: Moritz Year of publication: 2016 Pages: 22 ISBN: 9783895653155

Heut ist Badetag: Haare waschen, trocken föhnen Hasenkind braucht dringend Hilfe!

This delightful book encourages the active participation of your child in reading the story. Little Rabbit needs a bath, and the text invites you to call out to him, to put shampoo on his head, to rinse the shampoo away, to rub him with the towel, and so on.

Particularly fun are the two pages where you must dry Little Rabbit’s hair. Switching on the hairdryer does not work, because it is broken, so instead you have to blow as hard as you can. This reviewer can guarantee that your child will chuckle in delight as you blow through his or her hair.

This is the second of three Little Rabbit books, the first being Nur noch kurz die Ohren kraulen? and the third Tupfst du noch die Tränen ab? They have been most successful not only in the original German but also in the many languages, including English, into which they have been translated.

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Nulli und Preisemut bauen ein Baumhaus

Title: Nulli und Preisemut bauen ein Baumhaus Author: Matthias Sodtke Illustrator: Helmut Kollars Publisher: Lappan Year of publication: 2016 Pages: 32 ISBN: 9783830312475

Wenn die Sommertage so richtig heiß sind, ist es meist auch in den Nächten viel zu warm zum Schlafen. Jetzt müsste man ein Baumhaus haben, hoch oben in luftiger Höhe, wo immer ein frischer Wind weht, findet Preisemut.

Gleich am nächsten Morgen setzt er seine Idee in die Tat um und beginnt fröhlich zu werkeln. Auch Nulli gefällt die Idee richtig gut, und so bauen sie gemeinsam ein wunderschönes Baumhaus.

The Nulli und Preisemut books are always thoroughly amusing. In many of the stories, the two characters, Nulli (a rabbit) and Preisemut (a frog), tend to become irritated with one another before realising that it is better to work together. In this book, though, Nulli and Preisemut manage to solve a problem without dispute.

Preisemut, who has been finding it difficult to sleep inside a warm house during the summer months, decides to build a treehouse so that he can sleep where the cool night-time wind will cool him down. Nulli awakes to find, quite unexpectedly, his friend hard at work, and he soon lends a hand.

The illustrations are cute and colourful. The facial expressions in particular contribute significantly to the humorous tone.

Preisemut’s only concern at the end is whether or not the owl in the vicinity will want to nibble at his toes. ‘Only if you’ve washed them,’ jokes Nulli.

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Der kleine Hase im Weihnachtswald

Title: Der kleine Hase im Weihnachtswald Author & illustrator: Rebecca Harry Translator: Linde Zwerg Publisher: Loewe Year of publication: 2012 Pages: 32 ISBN: 9783785576557

Das kleine Schneehäschen Flöckchen wünscht sich nichts sehnlicher als einen Freund! Mit seinem Wunschzettel im Gepäck macht es sich auf zum Weihnachtsmann. Auf dem Weg trifft es viele Tiere, denen das freundliche Häschen gern hilft. Als es endlich beim Weihnachtsmann ankommt, hat sich Flöckchens Wunsch schon von ganz allein erfüllt …

Ein warmherziges Bilderbuch über Freunde und wie man sie finden kann.

This is a translation of Snow Bunny’s Christmas Wish, a book about how friendships come into being. Snow Bunny fulfils her wish to find friends simply by being kind to those she meets on her way to Santa.

Aside from the theme of friendship, children can gain an understanding of what a map is from this book. One of Snow Bunny’s treasured possessions is a map of the forest in which she lives. It clearly shows the path she will take to Santa’s house.

The silvery swirls and sprinkles of the adorable illustrations enhance the impression of a glistening, Christmassy landscape.

I was unaware that Snow Bunny was a girl until I saw an English-language copy of this book. In German, animals are referred to by grammatical rather than biological gender, and Hase (rabbit) is a masculine noun.

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Frohe Weihnachten, kleine Tiere!

Title: Frohe Weihnachten, kleine Tiere! Author: Sabine Cuno Illustrator: Marlis Scharff-Kniemeyer Publisher: arsEdition Year of publication: 2015 Pages: 12 ISBN: 9783845809861

Es weihnachtet bei den Tieren im Wald! Alle Tiere, ob groß, ob klein, helfen mit und schmücken den glitzernden Weihnachtsbaum.

This is a beautiful book about a group of forest animals preparing for Christmas. The beaver chomps down a tree, mother bear bakes gingerbread, the mice practice their Christmas carols, and so on. They then decorate the tree and celebrate together.

The illustrator has captured perfectly the feeling of Christmas warmth amidst wintery surroundings. The whites of the snowscape contrast effectively with the yellows of interiors, fireplaces, candles, bells, and stars. All the animals are cute and cheerful.

Each page features holes which reveal an object that will appear in a slightly altered state on the next page, e.g. an outdoor fireplace on one page becomes a fire oven on the next, or a snowman seen through a window becomes a snowman framed by trees. Your child will also undoubtedly have much fun poking his or her fingers through the holes!

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Ampel, Straße und Verkehr

Title: Ampel, Straße und Verkehr Author & illustrator: Peter Nieländer Publisher: Ravensburger Year of publication: 2013 Pages: 16 ISBN: 9783473328789

Wie kommst du sicher auf die andere Straßenseite und wirst im Dunkeln gut gesehen? Anhand von vielen wieder erkennbaren Situationen und anschaulichen Bewegungsklappen erfahren Kinder, wie sie sich im Straßenverkehr richtig verhalten.

This book is a most valuable addition to your child’s library. It is a fun and colourful title that helps to develop and reinforce knowledge of traffic safety.

The Wieso? Weshalb? Warum? junior series of non-fiction books is aimed at children under five years of age. Ampel, Straße und Verkehr is the 48th volume and is a perfect example of the quality to be expected from this series. The illustrations are highly detailed yet also crystal clear. There is at least one flap on each page which, when lifted, reveals altered traffic conditions, like lights changing at an intersection or a car door swinging open. This enables differences to be spotted, thereby encouraging awareness of the types of scenarios to be encountered when outside and of how to respond accordingly.

Particularly fun is the true-false section at the end of the book. One page focuses on deciding which actions are safest (e.g. whether to play with or just hold the ball whilst crossing the road), and another involves colour identification (green or red).

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Conni backt Pizza

Title: Conni backt Pizza Author: Liane Schneider Illustrator: Eva Wenzel-Bürger Publisher: Carlsen Year of publication: 2006 Pages: 24

This is a particularly enjoyable entry in the series of Conni books. Conni bakes pizzas with her friend, Simon.

Conni is a character who displays great initiative. She develops an interest in something and then pursues it with determination. In this book, driven by the desire for an exciting dinner, she invites Simon over to learn from him how to make pizza.

The text leans heavily towards description rather than character dialogue, although the illustrations make it clear for young children what is taking place. As with all children’s picture books, talking about the pictures can be just as important as, if not more so than, reading the text.

All of the stages for cooking pizza are outlined in this book: gathering the ingredients, making the base, spreading the ketchup, chopping and adding the toppings, and, finally, having Mum put the pizzas in the oven.

This reviewer notes that the ingredients do not include ham and pineapple, so that means no Hawaiian pizzas!

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Oho, wem gehört der Tierpopo?

Title: Oho, wem gehört der Tierpopo? Author & illustrator: Thorsten Saleina Publisher: arsEdition Year of publication: 2015 Pages: 20 ISBN: 9783845806341

Zum Raten und Schmunzeln!

Wem gehört der Tierpopo?

• mit lustigen Reimen • mit großen Klappen

Ein Spielbuch, das Groß und Klein rundum Spaß macht!

Rate mit!

Wem gehört der Tierpopo?

What can be said? This is a very funny book about animal bottoms!

Nine animals are shown from behind, and in each case you must guess who the animal is. By reading the amusing rhyming text and by lifting the flaps, you can discover the answer. All of the animals are cute and have friendly smiles, and there is a little mouse who appears on every page and who is clearly enjoying the spectacle!

This board book creates laughter every time it is read. It is wonderfully cheeky, and your child is guaranteed to learn the word ‘Popo’ very quickly!

By the way, if you guess that the animal on pages 10-11 is a rabbit, you would be half correct!

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Zorro der Mops: Abenteuer im Bammelwald

Title: Zorro der Mops: Abenteuer im Bammelwald Author: Katharina Bendixen Illustrator: Carola Sieverding Publisher: Loewe Year of publication: 2017 Pages: 128 ISBN: 9783785583609

Zorro, der Mops, führt ein beschauliches Leben in Bummelhausen. Dabei würde er so gern etwas Spannendes erleben und ein großer Held sein! Also macht er sich fleißig auf die Suche nach Rätseln und Geheimnissen – schließlich kann unter jeder Kiefernnadel das größte Abenteuer warten!

Und dann passiert wirklich etwas: Aus dem Dorf verschwinden die Lieblingsgegenstände seiner Freunde und schließlich auch Zorros goldener Fressnapf. Für den kleinen Mops steht fest, dass er die Diebe fassen wird! Doch so einfach, wie er sich das vorgestellt hat, ist es dann doch nicht …

Zorro is a cute little dog who is always on the lookout for adventure. An opportunity presents itself when the most treasured belongings of the animals of Bummelhausen go missing. Have they been taken, Zorro wonders, by a multiple-headed monster that resides in the ruins of the old factory?

Katharina Bendixen’s playful use of the German language is delightful, especially in relation to the devices invented by Zorro’s friend Hamsterine: a Haarograf is a device that compares strands of hair, and a Rechenschieberreperaturmaschine is something that fixes a slide rule!

The book is richly illustrated by Carola Sieverding, complete with a map of Zorro’s world inside the front and back covers.

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Pelle hilft dem Lokführer

Title: Pelle hilft dem Lokführer

Author & illustrator: Jan Lööf

Translator: Andrea Lüthi

Publisher: Atlantis

Year of publication: 2014

Pages: 32

ISBN: 9783715206875

Der Lokführer hat das Nashorn übersehen: Dem Tiger geht es gut, aber die Dampflok ist Schrott. Kein Problem für Pelle. Er kennt sich aus mit Wagenheber und Schweißgerät. Zum Dank nimmt der Lokführer ihn mit auf eine abenteuerliche Fahrt.

Das große Finale des Bubentraums aber ist der Ritt auf dem Gepard.

A wonderfully fun book in which a boy starts tidying his room but becomes distracted by the imaginary world his toys inhabit. Pelle repairs the locomotive of his monkey friend (the train driver) and then goes on a train ride. They encounter a railway crossing and a crumbling bridge, but then Pelle must rush home on the train driver’s cat (a cheetah) when he remembers that he still needs to tidy!

Jan Lööf is a leading author and illustrator in Sweden. He has written a number of Pelle books, although only this one has been translated into German so far. A nice touch is the illustration of different types of locomotives inside the front and back covers.

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Der Traktor und der Esel

Title: Der Traktor und der Esel

Author & illustrator: Thomas Müller

Publisher: Moritz

Year of publication: 2015

Pages: 34

ISBN: 9783895653025

Der Traktor und der Esel, die hatten einen Streit:

Wer wohl als Erster wäre am Ostseestrand, so weit.

A marvellously funny and enjoyable book which shows that more can be achieved through cooperation rather than conflict.

Following a dispute between a tractor and a donkey over who can reach the coast more quickly, the two go their separate ways and proceed to race one another to their destination. But the challenges that each encounter on their journey prove to be quite overwhelming, and they soon discover that only by working together can they reach their goal.

The illustrations are amusing, alternating back and forth between the two characters as each comes across their next obstacle. The rhyming text is full of humour, with the trading of insults at the beginning replaced by utter joy at the end: ‘Der Esel sieht den Traktor, rennt fröhlich auf ihn zu …; Der Traktor ruft erleichtet: “Komm her, mein Freund! Juhu!”’

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Fünf kleine Mäuschen verstecken sich im Häuschen

Title: Fünf kleine Mäuschen verstecken sich im Häuschen

Author: Susanne Lütje

Illustrator: Tina Nagel

Publisher: Oetinger

Year of publication: 2014

Pages: 16

ISBN: 9783789179075

 Fünf kleine Mäuse laufen weg.

Husch, sucht sich jede ein Versteck.

Schau dir an, wie schnell sie verschwinden –

kannst du sie wiederfinden?

Eine lustige Suchgeschichte mit Reimen zum Mitsprechen und vielen Klappen!

This is a delightful board book which will appeal to preschool children who love playing peek-a-boo, and which helps to develop the ability to search, to find, and to count.

On the first double-page, five mice scurry away to hide in a house. You must find these mice, numbered 1 to 5, on the following double-pages, each of which features a room in the house where a mouse is hidden – the entrance, the kitchen, the bathroom, the living room, and the nursery. With several flaps per room to look under, only one will reveal the next mouse!

On the last double-page, you must find not a mouse but something yummy for the mice to eat!

The illustrations depict happy and playful mice, whilst the rhyming text is simple and reinforces key vocabulary.