Germany

2 New Bookish Nonfiction Picture Books

| Tasha
Cover image for The Burning of the Books by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Gary Kelley, featuring a girl holding a book in her arms with a worried look on her face in front of billows of smoke.

The Burning of the Books by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Gary Kelley

  • Publisher: Creative Editions
  • Publication Date: March 10, 2026
  • Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
  • ISBN: 9781568464114

This nonfiction picture book begins with the printing of the first book, the Bible. It then turns to Germany, a place where many of these books were printed and a literate nation. When Hitler came to power in 1933, things changed and certain books were labeled as “un-German.” College students and librarians helped remove books that were labeled that way, tens of thousands of books. In Berlin, the books were taken to a public square, dumped near a pile of wood, and set alight. This happened in cities across Germany. Afterwards, authors were blacklisted and many fled to freer countries, like America. Now we all must be aware that freedom must be protected even in free countries.

Winter manages to take a very complex situation and create a book that children can understand without making it lose its power or darkness. His writing is crisp, direct and filled with empathy for those targeted and the books destroyed. Kelley’s illustrations are like stained glass on the page, angular and fierce. Yet they also have a lovely softness to them, a feeling of hope lingering nearby. 

A look at one of the darkest periods in human history that is timely and important. Appropriate for ages 8-12.

Cover image for How a Bear Became a Book: The Collaboration That Created Winnie-the Pooh by Annette Bay Pimentel, illustrated by Faith Pray, featuring a boy in a tree above Winnie the Pooh stepping on a book.

How a Bear Became a Book: The Collaboration That Created Winnie-the Pooh by Annette Bay Pimentel, illustrated by Faith Pray

  • Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
  • Publication Date: March 31, 2026
  • Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
  • ISBN: 9781250358448

Sweetly partially narrated by Pooh himself, this nonfiction picture book explores what it takes to make an idea into a book. The idea started with A.A. Milne and he wrote down words about a bear. The words needed pictures to bring them fully alive. An editor read the words and thought of the right illustrator for them, Ernest Shepard. But Milne was not a fan of his, so they tried different illustrators first, finally returning to Shepard. The two worked together to create a book where the illustrations danced with the words on the page, bouncing, stacked tall. The books were very popular thanks to the combination of story and illustration. 

The tale of how Milne and Shepard created their books is a real treat. Both author and illustrator here capture the spirit of the original on the page, whether it is the play of words across the page or turns of phrase that are fun to find. The use of Pooh to help tell the story adds to the fun. The illustrations take the idea of the bear and then steadily solidify him as the book comes together. They manage to pay homage to the original without copying them directly.

A warm and marvelous visit to an old friend and how he became a book. Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Review: Wall by Tom Clohosy Cole

| Tasha

wall

Wall by Tom Clohosy Cole

When the Berlin Wall was built, a boy was separated from his father who was on the other side.  His mother told him that his father was in a place where life was better.  They were not allowed to leave their side of Berlin.  The boy dreamed of his father coming and rescuing them, but he knew that was unlikely to happen.  So he started to plan ways to get past the wall himself.  Other people tried to get past the wall, many of them died in their attempts.  But it was worth the risk to see his father once again, so the boy started digging out in the woods near the wall.  When the tunnel was ready, the boy led his family to it, but along the way they were stopped by a soldier.  Would this be the end of their brave journey to reunite their family?

Cole captures the separation and division caused by the Berlin Wall.  He also clearly shows the fierce drive of a family to reunite and be together once again.  Told in very simple sentences, the book relies on its fine artwork to carry the story.  It is the art that conveys the danger, the deaths and the risks that people took to see loved ones again or to attain freedom. 

The art here is exceptional.  Cole uses lighting on his pages to show the hope of the West versus the darkness and gray of the other side of the wall.  The illustrations are atmospheric and dramatic.  They convey the feeling of isolation and the fear. 

A strong picture book about the Berlin Wall and the power of family and hope.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Why We Took the Car by Wolfgang Herrndorf

| Tasha

why we took the car

 

Why We Took the Car by Wolfgang Herrndorf

Originally published in Germany, this is a gorgeous coming-of-age story that is dark and immensely funny.  It is the story of Mike who just doesn’t fit in.  He’s considered one of the most boring people in his school, ignored entirely by girls and laughed at when he reads his writing out loud.  He’s not even invited to the best party of the year though everyone else is.  Everyone but Andre, better known as Tschick, who comes to school drunk, looks like he’s been fighting, and wears outdated clothes.  Tschick and Mike have absolutely nothing in common, but when Tschick shows up unexpectedly in a stolen car when Mike has been left home alone for an extended time, they head on a road trip that no one will ever forget.

Winner of several awards in Germany, this book is much more than a standard teen road trip book.  What could have been cardboard stereotype characters instead blossom in the hands of Herrndorf to become much more complex and intriguing.  They get more and more interesting as the book progresses, steadily revealing themselves to one another and to the reader.  It turns out that Mike is far from boring in any way and Tschick is far from any sort of stereotype.

Readers know from the beginning how the road trip ends, but the joy is in getting to that point.  I guarantee it is not a straight line!  The setting of modern Germany is one that many teens may not have explored, especially through the eyes of native Germans.  The translation is done very well, leaving it particularly European, but also making it flow for English speakers.

I am usually not a fan of road trip stories, but this is definitely one trip worth taking.  Funny with a lightness but also depth, this is a wonderful teen read.  Appropriate for ages 14-16.

Reviewed from digital galley received from Arthur A. Levine Books and NetGalley.