Kids books auf Deutsch
April 6, 2011 8:17 AM Subscribe
Recommendations for children's and young adult books auf Deutsch?
I speak ok German and would like to do more reading but Hesse and Kafka are out of much current reach. I've read the first Harry Potter in German and enjoyed it. Can you recommend some books that were written in German. Audiobooks would also be great. Danke sehr.
I speak ok German and would like to do more reading but Hesse and Kafka are out of much current reach. I've read the first Harry Potter in German and enjoyed it. Can you recommend some books that were written in German. Audiobooks would also be great. Danke sehr.
Die Unendliche Geschichte, better known in English as The Neverending Story, is a real classic. You'll be able to find that one in just about any format you like, I would imagine.
posted by valkyryn at 8:33 AM on April 6, 2011
posted by valkyryn at 8:33 AM on April 6, 2011
Response by poster: Oh, thank! That's exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for. I temporarily forgot about Michael Ende. Mono is one of my favorite books
posted by princelyfox at 8:35 AM on April 6, 2011
posted by princelyfox at 8:35 AM on April 6, 2011
Heh. Yup, I enjoyed Momo, too. Mono, not so much. ;)
posted by likeso at 8:44 AM on April 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by likeso at 8:44 AM on April 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Der Kleine Hobbit is another book that translates pretty well, once you get over the main character being named Bilbo Beutlin.
As for books originally written in German: The Tiger und Bär stories by Janosch are classic children's stories.
Another one that's pretty easy to find is a collection of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales in the original German.
posted by jedicus at 8:45 AM on April 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
As for books originally written in German: The Tiger und Bär stories by Janosch are classic children's stories.
Another one that's pretty easy to find is a collection of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales in the original German.
posted by jedicus at 8:45 AM on April 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
I think I may have even found the link here, but you can check librivox.org for texts with accompanying audiobooks. I know I found Alices Abenteuer im Wunderland there.
posted by aganders3 at 9:18 AM on April 6, 2011
posted by aganders3 at 9:18 AM on April 6, 2011
I enjoyed Erich Kästner's books as a kid, though I've no idea whether they would be fun to read for an adult.
posted by rjs at 10:07 AM on April 6, 2011
posted by rjs at 10:07 AM on April 6, 2011
One of my absolute favorites is Krabat by Ottfried Preussler. It's a story about a boy who gets a job at a mill, which turns out to be a school of dark magic. Darker than Harry Potter, and very well written. I've read this in German myself and my German is quite rusty.
posted by charles kaapjes at 10:37 AM on April 6, 2011
posted by charles kaapjes at 10:37 AM on April 6, 2011
Die Zeitfalte (a Wrinkle in Time) by Madeleine L'Engle was one of my favorites.
posted by lriG rorriM at 10:42 AM on April 6, 2011
posted by lriG rorriM at 10:42 AM on April 6, 2011
Ulrich Plenzdorf is one of my favourites - "Die neuen Leiden des jungen W.", and "Legende vom Glück ohne Ende". Both "Jugendliteratur".
Shakespeare translates well (I actually find him more enjoyable in German, but that's just me).
Franz Hohler is worth giving a try, he keeps things simple.
And if you're reading things like Murakami, you might as well read the German translation instead of the English one. Or Henning Mankell, for example.
posted by labberdasher at 12:30 PM on April 6, 2011
Shakespeare translates well (I actually find him more enjoyable in German, but that's just me).
Franz Hohler is worth giving a try, he keeps things simple.
And if you're reading things like Murakami, you might as well read the German translation instead of the English one. Or Henning Mankell, for example.
posted by labberdasher at 12:30 PM on April 6, 2011
Oh, and Walter Moers - the children's book, *not* the comics. Unless you have a very non-PC sense of humour.
posted by labberdasher at 12:40 PM on April 6, 2011
posted by labberdasher at 12:40 PM on April 6, 2011
I know you said Hesse is out of reach, but Siddhartha is really quite accessible, especially if you've already read it in English. I think Harry Potter would be harder.
posted by Daily Alice at 2:43 PM on April 6, 2011
posted by Daily Alice at 2:43 PM on April 6, 2011
Max und Moritz is a classic. Anything else by Wilhelm Busch is also a delight. I always loved Konrad: oder Das Kind aus der Konservenbüchse. And seconding Erich Kästner.
posted by Rula Lenska at 3:34 PM on April 27, 2011
posted by Rula Lenska at 3:34 PM on April 27, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by likeso at 8:32 AM on April 6, 2011