Yu Pei-Yun is invited to the Frankfurt Book Fair 2024 and talks about her work on the graphic novel Tsai Kun-lin. In conversation, Zhou Jian-xin explains how the graphic novel about Tsai Kun-lin came about. We learn what influence conversations, archives and stories had on the creation of this biography. Is there a «true» story? How does the illustrator choose, where is the boundary between interpretation, realisation and fiction? History is constantly being retold and presented from new angles.
→ Fri 18.10.2024, 2 to 2.30 pm, Taiwan Pavilion, Hall 6.0, D57, Author talk (English) with Yu Pei-yun
→ Sun 20 Oct 2024, 1 to 2 pm, panel discussion «Comics in Taiwan» with Yu Pei-yun and Sean Chuang

The girl Tuha lives in Cairo. As is not uncommon in Egypt, the family also has a monkey. Tuha has given him the name Maimun, which means "happy monkey". The two are inseparable and usually join in when their father performs as a juggler on the streets of the city ...
Even in ancient times, the monkey was revered as a sacred animal in Egypt and depicted artistically in a variety of ways. Sahar Abdallah interprets the Egyptian art tradition in her own way with her precise pencil and scenic use of colour in this book.
→ More about the book
→ Sample pages Maimun
2.9.2024

Baobab Books presents an international and diverse programme of children's literature. Our books are published in Switzerland but originate in many different places of the world. Each book is unique in its form, many of them are award winning. Our Rights Catalogue 2024 highlights a selection from our currently available titles.
Are you interested in translation rights? E-Mail us for further information or a meeting request for Frankfurt Book Fair 2024.
→ Complete Foreign Rights List

Kayabu is the latest book by Brazilian author Eymard Toledo. This story of friendship opens a window onto the world of the indigenous population of Amazonia, whose habitat is threatened by deforestation and the extraction of raw materials. The moving story is illustrated in Eymard's own amazing collage technique. Foreign Rights are available worldwide.
A portrait of Eymard Toledo was broadcast on SWR Kultur on 12 May and is now available in the ARD media library. In this short film, the artist and author talks about her work. Afterwards, the camera team accompanies her to a reading.
→ More about Kayabu
→ Sample pages
2.9.24

The fourth and final volume of the graphic novel «Tsai Kun-lin» is called Was bleibt and will be available in bookshops and directly from us from 12 August.
The graphic novel not only shows Tsai Kun-lin's life, but also almost a century of Taiwanese history. The first volume tells of Kun-lin's childhood and youth, the second volume of his long years in prison. In the third volume, we follow Kun-lin's rocky road back to freedom. In the final volume, we learn about Taiwan's path to democracy and Tsai Kun-lin's commitment to dealing with the crimes committed during the long years of the «White Terror» under Chiang Kai-shek.
→ More about the book
→ Sample pages Tsai Kun-lin Band 4
31.7.2024

Baobab Books has set itself the goal of contributing to understanding and dialogue between people and cultures through books. We are convinced that nothing is more important than the ability to listen to one another and engage in respectful dialogue. Books for children and young people can play an important role in this. By becoming a patron member of Baobab Books, you too can contribute directly to a diverse range of books for children and young people and, if you register for 2024, you will receive all four books published this year and the Kolibri at the beginning of September.
→ Request membership information (German only)
→ donate now
24.7.2024

The jury of the Max und Moritz Prize has nominated the graphic novel Tsai Kun-lin by Yu Pei-yun and Zhou Jian-xin. «Author Pei-yun Yu skilfully combines Tsai Kun-lin's biography with the history of his homeland. Jian-xin Zhou's drawings add additional layers to the content: the basic colour and style change from volume to volume,» writes the jury. We are delighted about this honour and congratulate the author and the illustrator most warmly. The award ceremony will take place on 31 May as part of the Erlangen International Comic Salon.
The four-volume graphic novel from Taiwan (German by Johannes Fiederling) tells the long and eventful life of the Taiwanese Tsai Kun-lin - and reflects almost a whole century of Taiwanese history. Volumes 1 to 3 are already available, the fourth volume will be published in August 2024.
→ More about Tsai Kun-lin
→ Sample pages volume 1 (German)
12.4.2024

A family is about to move from a tranquil village in the mountains to a distant city, where the father has found work. What kind of life awaits them there? Damals, im Sommer tells the story of farewells and new beginnings from the children's perspective. The artist LI Xiaoguang has aptly captured both the inner emotions and the outer scenery of the departure in his woodcuts. In its programme Büchermarkt, Deutschlandfunk said: «The tone of the narrative is calm, while at the same time the book offers a wealth of child-friendly details and the complex woodcuts [...] provide an insight into a world that seems both far away and close at the same time.»
→ More about the book
→ Reading sample
→ Radio report
8.4.2024