In a few days our two new books will arrive. The two books are formally quite different, but have connecting elements:
In the book Das Gänsespiel, Anne-Ruth Wertheim has recorded her childhood memories of the internment camp on Java. When she was born in Jakarta in 1934 to a Dutch family, Indonesia was a Dutch colony. This changed abruptly when the Japanese troops invaded in 1942. Anne-Ruth Wertheim was eight years old at the time ...
Tsai Kun-lin lived in Taiwan during his childhood under the colonial rule of Japan until 1945 and shortly afterwards under the Chinese Kuomintang troops. The long period of «White Terror» began and the protagonist also receives a ten-year prison sentence ... The graphic novel Tsai Kun-lin comprises four volumes, each volume telling a section of Kun-Lin's life and thus almost a century of Taiwanese history.
21.3.2023

We are opening our publishing house door again this year: On Saturday, 22 April, we will have an open day as part of the reading month on Bruderholz, present our current book programme and tell you about the art of making books. A short reading is also on the to-do list.
Of course, there will also be a large book table with Baobab books and rarities from all over the world.
- 11.30 a.m. Insights into international publishing work
- 14.30 Reading from Das Meer (for children and adults)
→ Sat 22.4.2023, 11am–4pm
17.3.2023

In our book Sibiro Haiku, we take a look back at Lithuania in June 1941, a country recently occupied by Soviet troops. One morning, Algis and his family are rudely awakened by Soviet soldiers. They have only a few minutes to pack. Algis takes his gander Martin under his arm and his father presses a bucket of apples into his hand. Then they are crammed into railway wagons with many other Lithuanians, unaware of where the journey will take them. The final stop is a camp in Siberia ...
Forum Lesen Nord of the BLLV writes: «Against the background of the Ukraine war, a very impressive book for young people. Ingeniously coordinated in text and illustration, the team of authors manages to present an impressive testimony of the times. However, there is no room for bitterness or thoughts of revenge, on the contrary. Reconciliation among those who suffered on both sides is always possible. A highlight in the heaven of books for young people!»
13.3.2023

Lydia was born in Värna in 1843. The Estonian state as we know it today did not exist at that time. The territory was under the rule of the Russian Tsar. Lydia learned German from her mother. Her father, in turn, worked as a teacher and journalist and founded the first daily newspaper in Estonian. Words, language, stories and poems became Lydia's passion. Early on, however, she also campaigned for freedom and self-determination - the Estonian people had been oppressed by foreign powers for centuries.
Lotte Library not only finds that Jaan Rõõmus manages to give the book something magical with his two-colour illustrations, but also writes: «The book makes you feel good.»
→ More about the book
→ Reading sample
23.2.2023

A lot of praise for the picture book Das Meer: "Micaela Chirif conjures up a round of eleven poems in which the sky, the octopus, the whale, the mermaid, fish, stars, clouds, the fisherman, the tiger, the river and the sea set in motion an elemental and magical exploration of the world," says the jury of the Josef Guggenmos Prize for Children's Poetry, which selected the book for the 2022 recommendation list.
The universe of thoughts was illustrated in a joint effort by three Mexican illustrators. Their brushstrokes and ink lines make this picture book a total work of art. The jury of Deutschlandfunk's Best 7 also found this to be the case, presenting the book in the Best List of the Month for July.
→ More about the book
→ Video by Micaela Chirif
→ Reading sample
2.2.2023

In the picture book from Ukraine Das Rübchen – Ripka the fairy tale of the little turnip is told, which grows to such a size under the loving care of grandpa that everyone has to help to pull it out of the ground. But only when the little mouse helps does the feat succeed ...
The Ukrainian artist duo Romana Romanyschyn and Andrij Lessiw have reinterpreted this old tale and created a book that makes the turnip grow bigger and bigger under our hands. And what's more, it's bilingual German – Ukrainian.
→ More about the book
→ Reading sample
→ Upcoming events
11.1.2023

The autumn books arrived a few days ago. Would you also like to have Das Rübchen – Ripka und Lydia on your bookshelf? With a patron membership «Baobab+Books» in the Baobab Books association, you not only support our activities as a non-profit association in the long term – but also receive a copy of all new publications of the year sent to you on request: 3 to 4 books and the recommended reading directory Kolibri.
Baobab Books has set itself the goal of using books to contribute to understanding and dialogue between people and cultures. More than ever, we are convinced that nothing is more important than the ability to listen to each other and to engage in respectful dialogue. Especially books for children and young people play an important role in this. The Baobab Books book programme includes stories from all over the world and from very different perspectives. With our intercultural reading promotion projects, we also provide young people with access to books as well as thematic immersion.
→ Request membership information (German only)
→ donate now
10.1.2023

Baobab Books presents an international and diverse programme of children's literature. Our books originate in many different places of the world, each is unique in its form, many of them award winning.
Our Rights Catalogue 2023 highlights some of the currently available foreign rights titles. Are you interested in translation rights? Do get in touch with us for further information or a meeting request for one of the upcoming book fairs.
→ More about our Foreign Rights List
28.2.2023

To coincide with Matías Acosta's visit to Basel with his book Die Sommergäste, we now have the Spanish audio book in our audio library. Other books such as Plitsch, platsch – pitsch, patsch or Tina hat Mut can also be listened to in their original language. We now have over 25 audio versions of our books.
→ Baobab Books audio library
→ Die Sommergäste in Spanish
21.11.2022

Eymard Toledo writes and illustrates children's books using a fascinating collage technique. Three works have already been published by Baobab Books. Juju and Jojô tells of life in the middle of a big city. But there are not only urban canyons, traffic noise and crowds of people, but also a fascinating world in miniature: a tree full of insects, butterflies, honey bees ... At the end of the story, the twins Juju and Jojô face a change of school, time for a look into the future.This is where a new project format from Baobab Books comes in: During one week, primary school children work on a book at the end of their school years together under the artistic direction of Eymard Toledo. In the process, they depict the world in which they live and show in close-ups what is important to them – today and for their future. In the end, the collages and texts will be combined into one big whole.We will conduct the project week for the first time with a primary school class in Basel at the end of June 2022. Further information will follow.
8.6.2022