Nobody knows one sapling could grow into a huge tree before it actually grows huge. When it was in medium size, they just saw it as an ordinary tree. The tree in town never stopped growing, only then people finally realized, that there was this huge tree standing there. They called it the king of trees, a miracle. It was people’s proud, until it became too huge. People started worried, and decided, to cut it down.
This is a book with trees as its protagonists, a book about human wrestling with nature, and a book reflecting on industrialization and urbanization
Awards Selected as one of the 100 Outstanding Picturebooks of 2019 by dPICTUS and exhibited at the Frankfurt Book Fair
About the authorand illustrator Da Wu: Post-90s writer and illustrator of picture book. His novels and essays are published in China’s magazines such as “Du You” and “Youth Digest”. He once drew illustrations for books by writers such as Keigo Higashino, Juan Li and Liangcheng Liu. His picture book THE KING OF TREES was selected as one of the “World’s 100 Outstanding Picturebooks” by the UK dPICTUS in 2019 and was exhibited at the Frankfurt Book Fair. His picture book THE BIRD AND STATUE won the New Talent Prize at BIBF Ananas International Illustration Exhibition in 2019.
Sudan’s Rhino Horn is based on the true story of Sudan, the last male northern white rhino, who passed away in March 2018 at the age of 45. Revolving around Sudan’s horn, the symbol of a rhino’s existence, the story reflects the complex relationship between human beings and wildlife. Based on the true story of Sudan with fairy tale style, we look back the life of Sudan. There are three times of cutting off the rhino’s horn in the story: the first time was Sudan’s mother; the second time was in the zoo in Czech; the third time was in Africa: his horn was cut off in order to protect his life. The rhino’s horn has a strong symbolic meaning: the horn is a rhino’s crown and strongest weapon to protect life and territories. But the saddest thing of Sudan is, it will kill his life although the horn is his proud and a symbol for his identity. His corn could not co-exist with his living body.
This book has been proofread by Zhang Jinshuo, senior engineer of the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, science planning director of the National Zoological Museum, and director of the Chinese Science Writers Association.
The creators went to Kenya to shoot and interview. The book contains precious images of Sudan, which could be viewed by scanning the QR code on the copyright page.
About the authors
Dai Yun: author, translator, and promoter of children’s books. Born in Zhejiang, grow up in Nanjing. Graduated from School of Foreign Languages, Nanjing University with a Bachelor’s degree, and University of New South Wales, Australia with a Master’s degree. Li Xingming: born in Guangdong, graduated from Central Academy of Fine Arts Picture Book Creation Studio. He has won the first prize of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts Graduation Design Award and the Gold Award of the Tianhe Award International Innovation Design Competition. He is currently a lecturer at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
Anyone who can read knows the 26 letters of our alphabet. But where do those letters come from? How long do they exist? And who designed them? Autobahn and Bette Westera take you back to the time of our distant ancestors, who made a drawing if they wanted to ‘write’ something. Slowly but surely, their drawings changed into the first letters. If you look closely, you can recognize our current alphabet.
And guess what? A is not for Apple at all, but for Ox! After reading this book you will understand how this came to be. You will also understand why, whenever we send each other emoji’s, we actually do the same as our distant ancestors over 5000 years ago. An educational and special letter book for all ages!
Table of Content： A. Back in time Our letters – p. 9 From drawings to letters – p. 12 With a caravan through the desert – p. 14 How it went on – p. 20
B. All letters in a row The alphabet from A to Z – p. 24 These weren’t all letters, were they? – p. 62
C. Letters aren’t everything, either What does this say? – p. 70 The Story Continues – p. 74 Get started yourself – p. 76
About the authors – p. 79
Autobahn is a design studio from Utrecht. Owners and designers Maarten Dullemeijer and Rob Stolte have presented commercial and self-initiated projects with exhibitions in China, Spain, Belgium, Peru and the Netherlands. Besides working for clients, the two always develop autonomous projects, such as FreshFonts: fonts made of toothpaste (Heldentica), ketchup (Tomatica) and hair gel (Gelvetica), a typography quiz and a sustainability platform for designers. Their work has been crowned with six European Design Awards.
The initiative for A van Os originated from the ideas of Autobahn: text is image. Text can be both an illustration and an information carrier. The reader can then decide: «Should I read the text or look at the image?» We can not read a text and look at an image at the same time.
Autobahn calls this Pleasant Confusion and thus plays in their designs. When the son of Stolte started writing letters at the age of four, the decision was made quickly to make a children’s book. Because everyone who learns to write must know where our letters come from. And that A is not at all from Apple, but for Ox!
Bette Westera writes poems, songs, stories and informative books for children. Doodgewoon (Gottmer, 2014) was awarded the Woutertje Pieterse Prize, the Golden Granger and the Golden Poetry Medal. Other well-known books by Bette are All hands on deck, Hero on socks, Poor Empire (a reading and listening fairy tale) and Was the earth once flat? Together with guitarist Diederik van Essel, Bette gives musical performances with her books. «Write only about things you understand,» Bette says on her website. «Even for a completely self-made story about pirates or cowboys, you need to know something about pirates or cowboys.»
When Autobahn asked her to write the text for a book about the origins of our alphabet, she put that self-written rule to its heels. I have never done it, so I think I can do it, she decided, entirely in the spirit of Pippi Longstocking. And she started writing about something she knew very little about. Not immediately with success, but fortunately Egyptologist Ben Haring from Leiden University was helping her. She is now a lot wiser!
‘The origin of letters – what a good idea for a children’s book! ’ / NRC newspaper
Reviews
Volkskrant A is not at all for ‘apple’, but for ‘ox’. Most gymnasians know that. But what about the other eighteen letters that form the basis of our alphabet through Greek and Latin? The D is from ‘door’. The E of ‘Hey, you there!’, The L is a rope to tie the donkey to a post and the M is for ‘water’. Just look, then you’ll see it.
To immediately remove the impression that A is for Ox, from the writer Bette Westera and the graphic agency Autobahn, only exists for prospective scientists: that is not the case. The Autobahn professional lettermakers found an ingenious way to shape the letter evolution from Proto-Sinaitic to Greek and Latin. By dividing each letter into two parts, the one orange and the other colored blue, the development through thousands of years of writing history can easily be traced back.
Once you have seen the little arms of the person who calls ‘Hey you there’, you will always recognize them in the E. And the H is of course a ‘fence’, what could it be otherwise? Westera tells a micro-story of one sentence accompanying each letter. About caravans and deserts, rivers that bring fertile silt, oxen that help to plough the tough clay, pins that help keep a tent upright. Thus each letter represents a case that was of vital importance in ancient times.
There is no big difference, says Westera, between the origin of letters and the pictures people use today to express what they find important during the app. The story of our alphabet has been told and shown more often. But rarely as inspiring as here. ——Pjotr van Lenteren 24 August 2018, 15:00
Awards
A is van Os has earned Type Directors Club award for typographic excellence and is traveling in exhibitions to Vietnam, Cambodia, Canada, Germany, France, USA, Australia etc.
The publication is nominated for ADCN Dutch Creativity Award.
The publication is also nominated for European Design Award.
Details Publishing language: German Publication Date: Oct. 2020 Trimmed Page Size: 235x315mm Extent: 176 pages with about 300 color illustrations Binding: Thread-stitched hardcover with embossing Toal words count: 13,200
Gouache is the all-rounder that makes your dreams of painting and drawing come true. Newly discovered and presented by Aljoscha Blau, one of the most renowned illustrators in German-speaking countries. Diluted, working with gouache is almost like with watercolour. Used as a paste, the paint is applied in opaque layers with a matte surface reminiscent of pastels. Soluble in water, it forgives “mistakes” and allows for corrections and revisions. The fine grain of the pigments makes detailed drawings possible. Gouache dries quickly, is non-toxic and inexpensive. Multiple international award winner Aljoscha Blau shares his many years of experience in this book, offers shopping and material recommendations, tips for swift success, suggestions on composition, tools and work steps. And he spices it all up with his own illustrations, which are both an incentive – and a feast.
The bear and the bee, the leopard and the ladybug, the ostrich and the marmot…When big animals pair with small animals, the imagination is sparkled. The little fish can play the music together with the whale. The crab can barber the seal. The bat can show the way for the reindeer…Looking at these creatures, you will forget that big and small used to be antonymic.
Penguin Pips has lost his way in the city. He wants to return to the Antarctic. Following Penguin Pips, we will go through a lively city, watch a fierce football game, enter a remarkable shopping mall, run a fun marathon, have a refreshing walk on the beach, and finally board a ship and head for the iceberg. Penguin Pips is eventually at home! Yet hold on and take a look. Where is he now?
This series consists of 3 titles.In each book, the same matter is told from different perspectives of parents and kids. Though their cognition is different, love can bridge the differences and build a bridge of communication between parents and kids.
Daddy, Let’s Go Fishing! When go fishing, dad is focused on fishing, however, the girl put all bait away.
Watch out! The Pirates Are Coming! It’s bath time. Mom just left the bathroom for a short time, but the boy has already staged a water-battle against pirates.
Surprise for Dad and Mum! On Sunday morning, dad and mom are still asleep, while the kid gets up and is preparing a big surprise.
Highlights
Flip up and flip down. Reading this book, you can get the fun of reading three books. The world of adults and children is different. However, love is magic, and it can build a bridge of communication between them.
Parents and children are with different perspective to the same thing, but they can make the same happiness.
Communicate with your children and walk into each other’s world, and every family will be full of magic!
“Take a Guess” series consists of following 9 titles and is a set of creative picture books with both knowledge and fun. Each title is related to animals. Via quiz games, it helps children learn knowledge of animals. The folding page design brings surprises, and nurtures children’s observation and imagination.
Take a Guess! Whose Baby Is It?
Take a Guess! Whose Home Is It?
Take a Guess! Who Is Playing the Instrument?
Take a Guess! Who Love This Most?
Take a Guess! Who Is It With This Color?
Take a Guess! Whose Voice Is It?
Take a Guess! Who Does This Toy Look Like?
Take a Guess! Who Is Playing Sports?
Take a Guess! Who Is It With This Pattern?
Highlights
Enjoy an animal carnival: bring together animal friends from seven continents, sea, land and air, and grasp children’s curiosity.
Participate in a big explosion of knowledge: nine animal characteristics such as color, shape, sound, and habits are revealed to satisfy children’s curiosity.
Move hands to flip pages: each folding page is a creative riddle, making reading a fun game.
Think and answer questions: a question-and-answer interaction stimulates children’s imagination and becomes a paper toy for parent-child time.
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