Every four years, animals choose their King. Lion loves elections, since everybody always vote for him. But this time is different. A small gray mouse says: “What is the point of the elections if there is only one candidate? You need a rival candidate because, on the contrary, this is pointless!”. Lion accepts the proposal and the electoral campaign reopens. However, the mouse is not the only one who wishes to be the king…
"The astonishing end will make not only the youngest wonder” (La Vanguardia).
“… A first lesson about democracy in a comedy way, nearly a parody. An intelligent story without a waste, with an ability to buck the system… readers of all ages will find reasons to debate and reflection” (CLIJ).
“The first lesson about democracy: funny, amusing and bucking the system” (Frankfurter Neue Presse, German newspaper).
Five blind scientists are conducting a research about the truth. All of them have their own ideas, but none of them is right because none of them is looking at the whole. And the whole is gigantic. It is an intelligent and philosophical story about truth, imagination and the impossibility of getting to an eventual explanation.
Awarded by Buchkunst Foundation as one of the most beautiful books in Germany.
"... an almost philosophical tale about the many different perceptions humans can have about a single reality, and about how wrong this perception can be, like in a modern version of the myth of the cave, with a subtle reflection about the boundless ability of humans to imagine… But this story wouldn’t be so successful if it wasn’t for Christoph Mett: his illustrations, so real, alive, suggestive and full of tiny details, bring a perfect support to the text and they achieve to complete it, resulting in a distinct, fresh and really amusing tale” (Babar Magazine).
It’s nine o’ clock. You are listening to the news. As it has just reported, the minister of Noise and acoustics has forbidden music. Regretfully, we do not know what to broadcast any longer, therefore, we suspend our program. A silence fell, also in the radio.
Is music forbidden? Bartolomeus Bob, his symbol of identity, writer, does not takes it seriously at first and goes out of his house whistling.
However, Noise Police has already found him and he is bound to run away through the underground tunnel. Underground, he discovers a basement where jazz is played and forbidden music makes walls rock. There, he meets all the people who is hidden from Mayor Dux, and they figure out a plan together, a revolutionary and universal-sized plan…
Awarded as one of the “most beautiful books in Germany” by Buchkunst Foundation.
“Mayor Dux is a moving, easy story in eight chapters.” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung).
“Music is the inspiration and soul of this text, not only as the central axis of the plot but also regarding its rhythm – it is divided in several beats-, as it were a playful jazz tune. An original proposal that put humour and irony together with some touches of crime novels in its narrative procedure and with surreal and lyric brush-strokes which are starred by shabby human-like animals.
Everything fits and flows with the unusual coherence of dreams. The strong personality of this work is extended to the brilliant edition, which fits the texts in the layout, together with the comic-like lively pictures.” (SOL. Orientation to readers service).
“The night was cold. The pile of manure was high. I had never woken the Sun up before. Mother was at the gate of the stable, nodding to me. She thought I was able to do everything. I crowed. The Sun came out. I had woken it up”.
Like always, Martin Baltscheit gets close to the reader with irony and a sense of humor, dealing with the topic of vanity without falling into superficiality and trite moral.
When his father dies, the rooster of the farm inherits his job: waking up the Sun. Proud of it, he applies himself to do it, and he indeed makes the sun come out every single day at six in the morning with his powerful cock-a-doodle-doo. Until other animals’ comments (some of them quite scientific, some of them just offensive) convince him that his crowing is useless, because the Sun comes out by itself every morning. Feeling blue, he decided not to crow any longer, but then the farmer appears, demanding his work to be done; that means he must crow, not to wake the Sun up, but to wake all the farm up, so that they could start everyday activity.
“A master-class about humility that leaks irony ,in a picture book with a “serious” look, brilliantly illustrated, with cartoonish characters and a beautiful setting” (CLIJ, Children and Young Adults’ Literature Notebooks).
The lion can’t write, but he doesn’t care, since he can roar and he can show his fangs, and he needs no more. But one day, he meets a very pretty lioness and she is reading a book. And you can’t just kiss such a lady. You must write a love letter to her. So, the lion goes asking for help the monkey, the hippopotamus, the dung beetle, the vulture…
But he doesn’t get the expected result. He loses patience and roars in the jungle, explaining the way he would write if he could do that.
A tender story, with a good sense of humor, for readers four years old and up.
The disadvantages of being illiterate are clearer in this really amusing, extravagant, romantic story… It makes us laugh constantly” (CLIJ).
“A cover simulating a postal envelope introduces a story which joins humor with tenderness. Just a few lines are needed to introduce a solid character that youngest readers can understand and identify with. This picture book’s greatest achievement is, however, not falling into an obvious and naïve teaching message. (SOL, Orientation for Readers Service of FGSR)
German Award to the best Book for Children and Young Adults, 2011
Once upon a time there was a fox that knew everything a fox had to know. Because that who knows everything is bound to have a long life, this way the fox thought. And he enjoyed a long life full of adventures. But when he got old, he started to forget he was a fox.
Martin Baltscheit’s book deals with Alzheimer disease without mentioning it, by means of the story of an old fox, that contributes his knowledge and experiences to the younger foxes until one day he started forgetting things…
Recommended by Canal Lector.
Recommended by Banco del Libro: “… a delicate and well executed picture book that aims to make children be aware of Alzheimer disease; the style, words and pictures work together during the reading to help the fox with those concepts he has forgotten. A touching book.”
Today, little robot Akuratus finds a playground. Like all othe two years old children, Akuratus is really curious and he tries every game he finds. He even becomes friend of a little girl. Another nice day on Earth for the little robot!
"... with cartoons full of nice, neat drawings and with an appealing main character, Akuratus book series tell us about, with charm and a sense of humour, the emotions and surprises of two years old toddlers. Because they, as happens with the blue robot, are new on this planet. By its hand, parents can discover again a world they stopped seeing a long time ago. This is the feeling of familiarity and, at the same time, surprise, that Akuratus’ books give”. (Nuria Barrios in Babelia).
This is the first time Akuratus come to visit us. Like all other two years old children, Akuratus is really curious. He tries out everithing. And, at night, he flies back to his home.
"... with cartoons full of nice, neat drawings and with an appealing main character, Akuratus book series tell us about, with charm and a sense of humour, the emotions and surprises of two years old toddlers. Because they, as happens with the blue robot, are new on this planet. By its hand, parents can discover again a world they stopped seeing a long time ago. This is the feeling of familiarity and, at the same time, surprise, that Akuratus’ books give”. (Nuria Barrios in Babelia).
The hare has left a will: when he dies, the most fearful animal in the forest will receive his immeasurable treasure. The day of the funeral all the animals gather and a very singular competition begins…
“Martin Baltscheit and Christine Schwarz dissect the current human society hitting the nail on the head” (Esel des Monats: monthly award by the german children’s literature magazine Eselsohr)