Bookworld
Books for Future. Children's and young-adult books that point to a better future

Books for children and young adults about safeguarding the environment and our climate seek to provide them with information, and to encourage them to re-think their assumptions and to make an active contribution. While some overdo their educative zeal and finger-wagging tone to an off-putting degree, others offer a nuanced and matter-of-fact discussion of the issues at just the right level for their target readership. Two examples of the latter are Anja Reumschüssel's Klima- und Umweltschutz ('Protecting our climate and environment') and Mein weit gereister Erdbeer-Joghurt ('My well-travelled strawberry yoghurt') by author Annette Maas and illustrator Miro Poferl, both of which carry conviction by virtue of their open and unfussy style. Maas and Poferl convey an especially clear picture of the relationship between food supply and environmental protection, and in so doing point to two further topics that are proving increasingly relevant this year in the children's and young-adult book market: protection of animals, and sustainability.



Thus for instance there are two non-fiction picture books that both tackle the issue of livestock farming. In Das wahre Leben der Bauernhoftiere ('The real life of farm animals') Lena Zeise uses photo-like illustrations and brief explanations to give a largely value-free picture of the difference between conventional and eco-friendly farming methods, while Julia Dürr chooses busy double-page spreads to explore the question spelt out in her title: Wo kommt unser Essen her? (‘Where does our food come from?’). Needless to say, with milk, meat and eggs at issue as well as bread, apples and tomatoes, questions about animal husbandry and abattoir methods also come up for discussion, and Julia Dürr accordingly compares the very different production processes used in small enterprises and in large-scale industrial farming. By contrasting different systems with one another, both books encourage their readers to reflect on their own behaviours with respect to food and to consumption in general, and in the process it becomes clear that every single individual can do their bit for the climate, for the environment and for animals.



Whether cheerfully humorous or dourly serious, whether it’s narrative non-fiction, children's novel or a dystopian vision aimed at young adults, stories both realistic and fantastical are just as effective in 2020 as ever they were in encouraging the reader to both project and reflect. Their protagonists, be they literary, fictional or copied from life, serve as exemplars when it comes to questions of solidarity and tolerance, moral and political values, or interaction with nature. It is indeed collisions between radical and seemingly irreconcilable standpoints that authors frequently use as their chief narrative device. In Christoph Scheuring’s young-adult novel Sturm (‘Storm’), for instance, a militant animal-rights activist encounters a fisherman who earns his living by catching fish and accordingly has a completely different attitude to nature and to life and death.



Opposing world views are also contrasted with one another in relation to topics such as dictatorship, fake news, radicalisation, racism, populism, conspiracy theories and political shifts to the right. Thus Martin Schäuble has the young protagonist of his novel Sein Reich (‘His Reich’) spend his entire summer in the world of the far-right grouping known as the ‘Reichsbürger’, while Leah in Andreas Götz’s Wir sind die Wahrheit (‘We are the truth’) investigates her own brother’s radicalisation. Both novels highlight the seductive appeal of far-right thinking and the danger it represents for democracy and freedom. Martin Baltscheit’s children’s novel Lang lebe König Frosch (‘Long live King Frog’) similarly illuminates the power and the modalities of targeted disinformation and manipulation, and demonstrates in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way how important it is to question the narratives one is offered, and not automatically believe everything one is told, no matter how alluring or alarming it may sound. Readers are also encouraged to reflect on the value of freedom and democracy by Wer tanzt schon gerne allein? (‘Does anyone like dancing on their own?’), a book for all the family edited by Karin Gruss, that focuses on the importance of mutual respect, tolerance and solidarity through a variety of pictures, poems and stories.
The themes of tolerance, of enlightened and unprejudiced attitudes and of mutual respect and self-esteem are at the heart of books like Elisabeth Steinkeller’s young-adult novel Papierklavier (‘Paper piano’), illustrated by Anna Gusella, and Franz Orghandl’s children’s novel Der Katze ist es ganz egal (‘The cat doesn’t care’), illustrated by Theresa Strozyk - books that both deal frankly with questions of sexual orientation and gender identity without either problematising them or falling back on clichés. The message is clear: you’re perfect as you are, no matter what others think or say. Here, too, the book market is responding to current social developments and conversations. The same applies to non-fiction books such as Wie siehst du denn aus? Warum es normal nicht gibt (‘So what do you look like? Why there’s no such thing as “normal”’), which attack the ideals of beauty propagated by advertisers, social media and society in general in order to encourage a positive image of both self and body.

Needless to say, as well as treating all these topical issues the children’s and young-adult book market also offers just as much scope this year as in any other for tales of friendship, family and love, for adventure and excitement, for stories with a historical or biographical bent, for fairy tales and the fantastical. A particularly striking feature here is the ever increasing number of graphic novels and children’s comics, which offer a mix of happy, sad, surprising and exciting reading experiences, and are in some instances targeted specifically at beginners and early readers, thereby bringing fresh impetus to this sector of the market. Eminently readable examples this year include Anke Kuhn’s Manno! (‘Manno!’), a book of childhood reminiscences that both children and adults will find entertaining; Philip Waechter’s holiday adventure Toni will ans Meer (‘Toni wants to go to the seaside’); and Selma tauscht Sachen: Hundeleben (‘Selma does a swap: life as a dog’), by Martin Baltscheit and Anne Becker, which shows how useful open-mindedness and a change in perspective can be when overcoming dangers - even if it’s only about a sweet little poodle.


by Marlene Zöhrer

Dr. Marlene Zöhrer is a research assistant at the University of Munich. She also works as a freelance literary critic and as an editor for children's books.


Translated by John Reddick