In the Town All Year 'Round by Rotraut Susanne Berner

Some businesses will also have a name in other pictures, but children can make up the story to fit the pictures. The words appearing above represent the few found in the book. Each section begins with a picture like the one below. In the Town All Year ‘Round depicts scenes from the four seasons. Rotraut Berner’s books are charming and delightful. The art form is very old, dating back to Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch, 1450 – 1516. Richard Scarry has used the concept of Wimmelbilderbuchs. The British Where’s Wally? series helped spread the success of Wimmelbilderbuchs in other countries.

That also means the books can be read over and over and be new each time. Because the books have few or no words, children can make up their own stories to go with the pictures. Children and adults delight in discovering the items. The scenes are detailed with people, animals, and objects. Writer/illustrators of Wimmebilderbuchs draw full-page spreads of the pictures. Berner’s work has been published in fifteen countries with close to 500.000 copies printed. The literal translation from German is “teeming picture book.” We might also call it hidden picture book. As they peruse scenes from the home to the farm, from the shopping center to the park, kids will enjoy identifying the different things that fall brings.In the Town All Year ‘Round by Rotraut Susanne Berner is a prime example of Wimmelbilderbuch. In the tradition of Richard Scarry and Where's Waldo, this book encourages kids to return again and again to these charming spreads, following along with the characters and inventing their own stories. All the activity culminates in a harvest celebration lit by dozens of paper lanterns in every shape and size. Familiar characters appear on each page-a maestro and a violinist, a balloon-toting nun, and a mom with her baby. And look, there's a water main break that's causing havoc and a chimney sweeper perched on a roof! Each time readers look at these delightfully detailed spreads they'll discover something new, whether it's what's for sale at the outdoor market or how many pumpkins they can spot on a single page. Farmers are preparing the fields for winter and kids are back in school. The leaves are blowing off the trees and the birds are flying south in Bustletown. This fun, oversized board book introduces kids to the different ways we live, work, and play in fall.

In the Town All Year 'Round by Rotraut Susanne Berner