In the Town All Year 'round

My family has fallen in love with Ms. Berner's books. For Christmas, Santa Claus will be bringing as many books from Ms. Berner's collection as possible. Everynight we read the German version of this book. It is actually four separate books. She has now come out with single story books detailing the life behind the characters. Every night my children pick a person each to follow in the pictures. The series of seasons allows you to see a person change and develop: a couple falls in love and then she is later pregnant, a pregnant woman has a baby, a small child grows bigger and enters preschool,and a man keeps searching for a lost friend, his goose. There are parades, birthday parties, Christmas markets, piano lessons, etc. The biggest question, which we have only lately realized, is where is Ms. Berner herself in the book. She is the woman who's back is to you on the beginning page for that season, the picture with the big tree. We have found her in all but one season. I cannot recommend these books enough. Children at a very young age can entertain themselves be following a person and creating their own story! This collection is a must have for every new parent or grandparent. You will get lost in the books!

One of my favorite children's books of all time. Underneath the charm of the deceptively simple drawings, it has a wonderfully civilized and democratic spirit. It's a story without conventional 'main' characters - you can pick out virtually any figure on a page a then follow their adventures through the whole year. One time you read it, you may decide that it's a slapstick story about Suzie and her many lost hats, or a simple story about Bob the Garbage Truck driver (my two-year-old son's favorite), or a romance about the young man who is always waiting for his girlfriend at the train station. Each picture captures a moment in time for the whole town, so you and your child are free to imagine the details of each story. It can take several readings to find all the details of the densely packed drawings, which gives a real sense of discovery as more and more of the story is revealed. We've bought copies of this book for every kid on our shopping list since we discovered this book in December. Adults love it as well - the town it portrays is so idyllic, and the narrative structure so inventive, that it's hard not to be charmed by this book. There's also a newly published sequel called 'Nacht-Wimmelbuch' that shows the town on a summer night - it's only available in German at this point, but that hardly matters since this is a mostly wordless book. Once you get hooked on 'In the Town, All Year 'Round', it's a treat to check back in and see what the characters are up to a few months later.

Children really enjoyed following the different story lines. This book can keep their attention for a long time.

We have a 4+ year old and it is her favorite book. The book is broken up into 4 seasons. At the beginning of each season there are a list of persons and animals that are present in all of the seasons. There is no other words or diolouge in the pages that follow. All of the characters have their own purpose, story line icluding accidents, love and celebration. As I read through the story, over and over, other stories and relations are discovered. Our little girl knows all of the characters and loves to tell me about them. It's amazing how the story builds and builds and you too will love the time you spend with the story and your child. Cj Ann Arbor, MI

This is a lovely book and seems to be a classic though it's recently written. Every page is teeming with things to look at and there are many pages. No words at all, but the pictures inspire the imagination. I also purchased her "Winter Book" and love it. That one has stories, poems, and songs about winter and winter holidays and traditions around the world. I use it as a resource for teaching, but it is lovely just to look at. I can't praise Rotraut Susanne Berner enough.