German / Germany
Am Arsch der Welt und andere spannende Orte. 25 Landkarten für hellwache Kinder
(At the back of beyond and other fascinating places. 25 maps for quick-witted children)
Grüling, Birk
(text)
Schulz, Tine
(illus.)
Leipzig: Klett Kinderbuch, 2022. – [56] p.
ISBN 978-3-95470-264-0
Map | Transculturalism | Cultural diversity | Local customs | Non-fiction
Reading age: 5+
White Ravens issue: 2023
How long did Birk Grüling have to research to gather all these facts and anecdotes, to filter and organize them? And how long for Tine Schulz to orchestrate them all in her illustrations? This oversized book is a real grab bag of information and offers plenty of aha moments. On the one hand, it cleverly hooks into everyday experiences of its German-language readers; on the other hand, it is a real eye-opener and gateway to the world, presenting, for example, breakfast habits, school routes, and sweets or ice cream flavours from all over the world. Readers will be amazed to learn about all the things that can be eaten or licked. Often the book makes use of extreme cases or opposites to present the deepest, the highest, the safest, the most dangerous places, while curious German toponyms, such as »Cat Brain«, »Mosquito« or »Raincoat« are more likely to make readers laugh. Finally, on the last page, the book’s German title »At the ass of the world« makes its appearance to show how and where people go to the loo. [IG]