Rotraut Susanne Berner

The new Richard Scarry!

I think it was Fuse 8 who first brought this book to my attention. I love detail books and it sounded great. But when it arrived a few weeks ago at our library, and I was checking out the new, to-be-catalogued books....it didn't look great.

It looked STUPENDOUS. AMAZING. FANTASTIC. and also EXTRAORDINARY.

For each of the four seasons there's a page of people to follow and a tree on a hill with the various characters around it. Then, there are 7 spreads, each showing a show more gazillion people, animals, and things. The settings for the spreads are the same for every season, but every single detail changes! It's the best of Richard Scarry, Waldo, and I Spy, all rolled into one large book! I refused to exile this to the oversized books - it's going to be on permanent display! Hours of looking delight!

Verdict: An updated verdict - this has become a constant favorite in our library, much-beloved by many parents and children. Buy it! Now!

ISBN: 978-0811864749; Published October 2008 by Chronicle; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library; Added to my personal wishlist show less

Originally published in German as Märchencomics, this slim volume presents eight fairy-tales from the Brothers Grimm, each of which has been simplified and presented as a brief comic strip. Despite their abridged form, none of the "disturbing" elements or mature content - Mother Holle dumping tar all over the less worthy sister, Rapunzel and her prince jumping into bed together, various wolves being cut open - has been omitted, making these stories conceptually mature but textually simple. show more An ideal selection for "Hi-Lo" readers (those reading well below their age and grade level, who need mature stories told simply), I would think.

I don't know that Definitely Not For Little Ones: Some Very Grimm Fairy-tale Comics really stood out to me as an excellent fairy-tale retelling - yes, I'm a textual creature, and prefer the fuller, original versions - but I think that younger readers who appreciate humorous revisions of traditional stories will enjoy it, and the format in which it is presented. Certainly, Rotraut Susanne Berner is at no pains to make things neat and tidy for young children - witness the sister, in Mother Holle, smoking a cigarette - and that will undoubtedly add some spice as well. show less

Way back in 2009, I first discovered Berner's work with the classic In the town all year 'round. Berner was lauded as the German Richard Scarry and much love and enjoyment followed. As the years flew by, I frequently replaced this delightful book, since it's large size and popularity caused a lot of wear and tear. Earlier this year, I went online to get a new copy and discovered... it was OUT OF PRINT. How could this happen? WHY???

Fortunately for me, and my little patrons, Prestel is show more republishing this wonderful book in individual sections and in board book format. So, yes, technically this is a board book, but since it's the size of the original picture book and that's where I'm going to put it, I'm counting it as a picture book!

The art is the same, a little dimmer perhaps in the board book edition, but I am so happy to have it I don't care! The only changes are minor adjustments to the few words in the books, the descriptions of the people to look for and the signs on shops. I have to admit I don't really get this - why does it matter if it says "Deli" or "Snacks"? But it doesn't really materially change the book. The way it works, there's a page of people to follow throughout the book - a woman reading, a father and daughter chasing a parrot, a cat who appears on each page, etc. In the board book edition, this is on the back cover. Some of the text changes here are a little puzzling - it no longer tells you to find the cat on each page, just that she's taking a tour through town. Some are a disappointing change. In the original, a busker in patterned sweater and scarf is labeled "Pedro" who loves to sing and play his guitar. In the board book, he is still Pedro, but he's cold because he's from South America. Clearly, the editors have never looked at a map...

Once you've looked at the back page and figured out the people, you follow them through each scene. There's a country spread, with a garage and mechanic, a train station, construction site, and busy downtown scene. Each has numerous small stories to follow and fun details to find. The scenes are repeated in the following seasons, for which I hope they will release additional board books so kids can check out the whole set!

Some reviews mention that it is disappointingly homogeneous - there are a few characters with darker skin pictured, as well as some women wearing hijab, but the majority are white. I don't have a problem with that - this is picturing a small German town where the majority are white. From what I've looked at briefly, ethnic minorities in Germany are mainly Turkish, Russian, and Eastern European, most of whom would appear white as well. You can't complain about the stereotyped dress of "Pedro the South American" (which I don't think was a good addition) and then be upset that you can't pick out the people who are Turkish or whatever. I think it would be cool to have a version of this set in numerous countries around the world, each showing people and settings typical to their small cities.

Verdict: I'm delighted to have be able to offer this favorite to patrons once again in a new, sturdy format and am looking forward to adding the rest of the set.

ISBN: 9783791374154; This edition published October 2019 by Prestel; Review copy provided by publicist; Donated to the library show less

I first discovered In the town, all year 'round in 2009. It was a lovely and popular book, frequently replaced. Last fall, I was delighted to see it had been cut into an over-sized board book for each season and looked at the Winter edition. Today, I have a set of all four seasons and enjoin you to add these lovely books to your collection.

I did a detailed comparison of the updates in my review of Winter, so today I'm just introducing the set as a whole. Each book shows the same spreads, but show more in different seasons. There's a cut-away version of a large house next to a busy street, a farm and auto garage, train station, city street corner with a new school under construction, market square with fountain, picnics, and small shops, cut-away view of a shopping center, and a park with pond. The same people, a nun, an Indian in turban and dhoti (?), dark-skinned and curly-haired mother and child, and a variety of nondescript white people in varying clothes. These and others are shown on the back of the book and their adventures can be followed through the pages and seasons.

One finds the nun, named Martha, buying a penguin balloon that floated through the pages in Summer. In Fall she joins the lantern parade at the new kindergarten with a penguin lantern, and so on. There are people, animals, and seasonal changes to follow, storylines woven into the wordless spreads, and endless, fascinating details.

Verdict: Although one loses a little in not having the complete year all together, the sturdiness of the board book editions makes it worth it. Of course, you may need to purchase multiple copies so people can check out all four at once!

Summer
ISBN: 9783791374208

Fall (to be published July 2020)
ISBN: 9783791374222

Spring
ISBN: 9783791374093

Winter
ISBN: 9783791374154

I received a set of the books for review from Prestel; I've also purchased additional copies (or will purchase when they are released) so I have multiple copies. show less