Some of my students know that I love the children’s book from Janosch. I particularly like using them when we cover the imperfect tense. But they are also just great stories.
So, if you, like me, like German children’s books,or want to enjoy great German children’s books with your children (or grandchildren), let me tell you what is available, even if you don’t live in Germany.
Lots of his stories are on Youtube.
I have made a playlist on YouTube with stories and songs from Janosch (and to which I will continue to add), but here are my three favourite stories:
But there is more. His website Janosch.de has things to do (including instructions for crocheted tiger slippers!), colour in and cook. You can also watch some of his videos there and listen to some songs. AND you can buy a smartphone app with his most popular story: O wie schön ist Panama. It lets you watch the video, read the story yourself or listen to it, or do both, and play games in German or English (although the games are more suitable for small children). I paid £2.98, that’s cheaper than buying the book or even the kindle version from amazon.
Janosch can be found on Pinterest and Facebook where I found this lovely picture:
I completely agree with this, don’t you?
So, when you have some spare time and want to practise some German AND are still a child at heart (or have a child that wants to learn with you):
Have fun learning German with stories from Janosch ☺
The following links are affiliate links. They don’t affect your cost if you decide to buy a book, but I’ll get a few pence from Amazon’s profit.
Bought Granddaughter1 (only speaks English) the English copy of ‘Panama’ as it was, in the German, one of her Daddy’s favourite books growing up. Read it to her and to be honest there were a couple of things in it that worried me. In this day and age when ‘pilzkunde’ no longer taught to children on the Sunday walks in the wood, I was concerned that Tiger and Bear were picking wild ‘shrooms and that this was presented as a good thing. Also they could have been shown taking more care around bodies of water.
Don get me wrong, I’m the last person to go all ‘PC’ and ‘Health & Safety’ about any children’s book but when reading the book to Granddaugther1 I did make sure I impressed upon her that ” YOU DO NOT PICK MUSHROOMS OUTSIDE” nor do you play near water.
There were a couple more things in the book that worried me but I have forgotten what they were now.
So any of your students wanting to help their Kids learn German should perhaps bear (see what I did there?) that in mind. TBH I didn’t feel the book ‘worked’ in translation…and it seemed ‘weird’ to Granddaughter too.
For “das Eichkatzl” (Granddaughter2) I have already bought this:https://postimg.org/image/k100gqn4b/ and as she is growing up bilingual I shall be making full use those youtube linkys, thank you x
Oh, die Tigerente – lovely!
I can’t say anything about the English version as I never bothered reading it. As for the health and safety aspect, I think as long as the children know that they are children and not tigers and bears (who are allowed to pick mushrooms and swim in rivers) they should be absolutely fine ☺
“children know that they are children and not tigers and bears ”
Because you never imagined what it would be like to be as strong as Pippi? To ride a horse like Black Beauty? You were never the girl member of the ???. Julian, Dick and Anne, George and Anschi? Oh well maybe it was just me that tried recreating Getafix’s potion with the contents of my mother’s herb rack and the cleaning fluids cupboard. Children know they are children , that’s why they like to ‘escape’ being children through books.
A children’s book whose main character children don’t identify with is a kid’s book that will end up in the bargain bucket at Waterstones.
I think this is a topic we could have a heated and brilliant discussion about in a pub over a pint, but it’s going off topic on this blog.
Stimmt’s, ‘schuldigen.