EDIT 2022: Sadly, the website has gone. It looks like his books are for sale again, therefore he took the free site down. I leave this post as it might entice you to buy one of his books if you come across them.
Whether you are learning German or would like to read to your child in German, children’s books are great!
But where to find them?
Of course, you can buy them on amazon or bring some back from holidays, but when you are not sure what to buy and don’t want to waste money on unsuitable books (or don’t get the chance to browse German bookshops) where else can you find German children’s books?
I found a solution! Children’s author Hans Wilhelm, who has written countless of books, decided a while ago to put his older books (which have turned into classics) online for people to download at Children’s books forever
So, if you’re looking to read to your child or practise your German, check out some of the stories.
This screenshot is from Guten Morgen, a nice and easy story written in the present tense.
Most stories, however, are written in the imperfect tense, which makes reading them a bit harder, like this one Wenn ich dich nicht hätte:
Or this one, Waldo und sein toller Trick
Even if you’re not too confident with the past tense, just enjoy what you do understand and attempt the imperfect tense another time. Or, if (like some of my students at the moment) you have just learned about the imperfect tense, then these books are a perfect way to learn how to recognise them – thank you Hans Wilhelm!
I hope I have whet your appetite and that you’ll enjoy the stories as much as I do. Let me know what you think!
What a great way to learn a new language. The imperfect tense is never easy to learn in Spanish either.
Thanks, Barbara. Did you see, he’s got Spanish books, too?
https://www.childrensbooksforever.com/childrenpages/Spanish.html
Now I do! Thanks for the recommendations. I can’t wait to check out these books.