Moritz Verlag was founded as a subsidiary of the Paris-based leading French children’s book publisher l’école des loisirs in Frankfurt on the Main in 1994 with Markus Weber as the publishing director. The publishing house quickly made its mark with picture books that had a strong appeal thanks to their unusual vigour and colourfulness.
As early as 1995 Yvan Pommaux received the German Children’s Literature Award for »Detective John Chatterton« as the best picture book of the year. This was followed by Grégoire Solotareff for »Du groß, und ich klein« (»You Big And Me Small«) in 1997 and by Chen Jianghong’s »Han Gan und das Wunderpferd« (»Han Gan and the Magic Horse«) in 2005. Lastly it was Claude K. Dubois, who received this coveted award, for which many titles by Moritz Verlag have been nominated over the years, for »Akim rennt« (»Akim Runs«) in 2014.
In 2010 Moritz Verlag began to publish books for first-readers, themed ›for all those who already enjoy reading by themselves‹. Non-fiction books also make for a considerable share of the publishing list. As regards sales and distribution, Moritz Verlag is co-operating with the Beltz Publishing Group in Weinheim. Moritz publishes approx. 20 new books per year, of which four titles are usually children’s literature.
Moritz Verlag’s picture books are committed to becoming children’s favourite books. They want to tell fascinating and meaningful stories that are compellingly illustrated. It turned out that those books that are told and illustrated by the same person are usually the most impressive. Moritz publishes board books and picture books from around the world as well as non-fiction picture books and a first-readers’ collection.
worldwide
Kristina Andres Holidays with Hedgehog Poop Two baby hedgehogs are a lot of work Rescuing animals and looking after them well is something that children love. So do Matti and Janne during their holidays on Aunt Olga’s farm. There are two hedgehog cubs there that are still far too small to survive on their own….
Antje Damm The Nori Says No! The Nori lives underground and loves red berries and life in nature. But one day a giantess throws something into its cave, destroys the table and chair and snatches it away from its world. She sees the Nori as her toy, which is to live in a doll’s house…
Regina Wenig & Liliane Oser Farmer Irrfing and the Congo Beetle The children have to go on holiday— their parents are stressed out On Monday, the Congo beetle is ready for a holiday. His parents have to work, so they send him to Farmer Irrfing: get on the U5, rumble to the Beetle main station,…
Leslie Niemöller & Liliane Oser The Cucumber Squad Hans the pig lives alone in a pretty little house in the forest. But little by little, one animal flatmate after another joins him. They all have special characteristics: a shy bear who only dares to walk as far as the garden gate. A rabbit with an…
Kristina Andres Come On, Let’s Catch a Cook! Stories to read aloud by Kristina Andres are always a a blast! This time they are about about two really really bad robbers. Greti and Jocke’s robber’s house stands in the forest under dense spruce trees. Lopsided and crooked, just as it should be. And because the…
Thomas Müller What’s Sailing Across the Sea? What doesn’t sail across the sea? A board book full of ships of all sizes, designs and speed categories For ten years, Thomas Müller has been letting everything on wheels whizz past us, from pedal cars to tanker lorries. Now it’s the turn of anything that can float:…
Jörg Mühle Tomorrow, I am the Boss! When the weasel comes home, he can hardly believe his eyes: Bear and Badger are playing with each other. The weasel is furious. Because Badger is his friend! “Why don’t you play with us?” suggests the badger, but Bear and Weasel can’t agree, not on football, not on…
Jörg Mühle Two for Me, One for You Bear finds three tasty mushrooms on her way home through the woods. Her friend Weasel cooks them up in the frying pan. But the friends have a problem: how to share three between two? Bear and Weasel come up with one argument after another for why they…
Jörg Mühle Let’s Play, Little Rabbit! Little Rabbit wants to play. He hides behind a blanket, then peeks out: Peek-a-boo! He splashes in the bath, swings back and forth, and plays with his own little rabbit too—one, two, three, whee, rabbit flies! Young children will love taking part in these familiar sequences and laugh at…
Jörg Mühle Poor Little Rabbit Oh no, Little Rabbit has hurt his arm. And there’s blood! Can you help him? Blow gently three times, try a band-aid, a rhyme, but he’s still crying… Let’s give his ears a stroke and wipe his tears. There, all better! Off you go, Little Rabbit! This sweet and simple boardbook invites…
Jörg Mühle Bathtime for Little Rabbit Who enjoys having their ears washed? Little Rabbit doesn’t like the idea, but it turns out to be not so bad after all. But he does need your young reader’s help. When the blow-dryer breaks, we must blow his ears dry. Wfffff! Keep blowing! Now wrap him in the…
Jörg Mühle Tickle My Ears The worldwide bestselling interactive bedtime book for toddlers. This sweet and simple boardbook invites children to take part in Little Rabbit’s charming new bedtime ritual by helping to put bunny to bed with a fun activity on each page. It’s getting late and Little Rabbit must go to sleep. Can…
Heike Brandt & Giulia Orecchia Kaya Knows What She Wants Children’s everyday life can be this exciting! This is a book with nine stories about Kaya. And Kaya knows what she wants. A loaf of bread with plum jam, for example. A fried egg. Or a ride on her bike to the park, where you…
Antje Damm Ask Me! 118 questions for children to get into conversation with each other. Revised new edition In this new edition of Ask Me!, which was first published in 2002, Antje Damm has revised and rethought questions, illustrations and photographs. With this type of book, which was new at the time of its first…
Katja Gehrmann & Constanze Spengler No Further Than the Ice Cream Van Dad and Mika are on a beach holiday: setting up parasols, swimming, reading, playing badminton. Until the ice cream van rings its bell. Mika runs to get the ice cream, but is held up – and the van is already gone again. So…
Markus Orths & Kerstin Meyer Grandpa Flies In the end, air and love remain Grandpa Winnie is incredible. In his life he has set 857 records. Today, Grandpa Winnie is planning a new record: with the help of a potion, he wants to become the lightest person in the world, because his doctor has told…
Jörg Mühle When Dad’s Hair Took Off “Stop! Stay here!“, Dad shouts, but it‘s too late. His hair is up and gone. Out of the bathroom, through the hallway into the living room and then through the open kitchen window into freedom! But Dad doesn‘t give up that easily. Quickly puts on his coat, grabs…
If grandma knew “If you could wish for something, what would it be?“, Grandma wants to know from Fips as they are taking a walk. After various suggestions, Fips finally comes clean: no kite, no bicycle, no dog—no: a trip is Fips‘ greatest wish—and together with Grandma! “Sometimes wishes come true,“ says Grandma and smiles….
The garden: It is fun, it is work and at the same time it can be an exciting adventure playground Anna and Benjamin’s family have just moved to a new house and can’t wait to turn their messy grass into a beautiful garden, but first they must plan, plant and learn how to care for…
It‘s not every day that a horse rings the doorbell and comes to a child‘s birthday party. But today is that day! The guests are thrilled because Robin, the horse, takes them on his back and gallops with them through the wide prairie, past fertile oases up to highest vantage point and to a bubbling…
What happens in the middle of that night Dad and Flo spend at the campsite? An adventure! That‘s what Dad and Flo are craving and they set off for the campsite in the forest. Flo‘s teddy is allowed to come along, of course. After climbing the mountain, they sit by the fire and later Flo…
Don‘t be afraid of the school essay! Lola is nervous. She has to write a story for school, her very first school essay! How lucky she is to have a dad who is an author and can give her tips on writing. And so an evening conversation develops between Lola and her dad about everything…
Following their adventures in the city, town bear and his friends return to the forest. “This peace and quiet is blissful! And our caves are so comfortable!“, Bear, Fox and Badger sigh contentedly. But the beaver has plans of an entirely different kind. The city gave him crazy ideas: He plans to rebuild his lodge…
Friendship also works without many words Bunny has very special ears: They are beautiful, long and soft! But: he can‘t hear with them … He would love to build a hut in the forest with his friends. He had already enjoyed it so much in his dream. And they are all there: Fox, Squirrel, Hedgehog…
Antje Damm‘s picture book comes along as a soft-footed and comprehensible book dedicated to the subject of dying, death and mourning. A fox comes into the forest. He‘s carrying a large box filled with cans of tomato soup, because he‘s toothless and old. The rabbits, initally scared of him, soon understand and thus animals who…
For Ida, every single day is like no other. If she wants to find out if earthworms have a bum, then that would be an explorer-day, for example. On a decision-making-day Ida will ponder the question of who she likes the most. On illness-day, Bunny receives an injection and he has a birthday, too, of…
Mika’s dad works at home, but he’s very busy with work. The promised visit to the quarry pond seems to be a long way off! To get Mika off his back, he allows Mika to buy a pet… This is the beginning of a wonderfully turbulent story in which one animal after another populates the…
From a plague to the best confectioner’s assistant Once a year, high up on his mountain the giant Karak cooks a mushroom soup which he devours. And once a year he attacks the village and robs the people of all their cakes, cookies and pies. Confectioner Tschaggomo no longer wants to put up with this….
When the bear wakes up one day, the forest seems strangely empty to him. Where are the other animals? “They’ve all moved into town”, explains the hawk. “There are heated caves, delicious food and, above all, no hunters!” The bear likes the sound of this and he sets off to roam the streets in town….
A new delightful picture book by Antje Damm The wolf is sooo hungry. And what could be more natural than eating all his toys? Accompanied by Antje Damm’s usual witty and cheeky language, the wolf feasts from one page to the next, grows bigger and bigger and more and more excessive. First the apple disappears…
Twenty-seven: that’s the number of letters that the Mumpf sent to his best friend, the snowy owl! For she traveled to the north because there is winter, even in summer. But then one day, the Mumpf discovers that his homemade mailbox in the forest is never emptied. The snowy owl did not receive a single…
Contemplating Nature Is nature of equal importance to all people?, asks Antje Damm and places the photograph of three children in India right next to this question. To her, nature is of such great significance that she raises more than 60 questions which can be the basis for a long and deep conversation with children:…
When Mumps wakes from his winter sleep this year, everything is different: The Snowy Owl awaits him this time; she’s been his friend since Christmas. A Friend for the Spring! Mumps is happy. The Snowy Owl is very young still and comes up with lots of nonsense like: Rolling a camel into the snow with…
Stories about angry clouds, adventurous nights, and thunderstorms in the belly Kristina Andres has come up with new read aloud stories that are beautifully illustrated: They are about going into winter sleep in summer (with ice cream in the tummy to get ready for it); about an adventurous night on the lake (with a hungry…
What is that supposed to mean: The mice are ordered to let a stranger move in with them? This is outrageous! A letter from the mayor changes the quiet subterranean lives of the mice: Someone is going to move in with them, someone, who lost his home. “Where is this person going to sleep? We…
From early on, children wonder what they could or might be doing when they grow up: Fix cars, fly to the moon, care for tiger babies, chase criminals. And yet the possibilities are endless! Thomas Müller presents some of these options and gives us a taste of the joys and difficulties in the lives of…
One morning there is a zebra under Hanna’s bed. A living zebra! Just like that. Hanna has only recently moved into the area with her two dads, so she is happy when Brownlee—that’s the zebra’s name—comes along to school with her. A zebra in the classroom? Impossible! But as Brownlee is darned good at writing,…
Eleven and half good night stories with Fox and Rabbit Fox and rabbit lived far away, behind the mole hills, in a small yel-low house. If they can’t sleep, they count the good nights (335 in total). If they wish each other a good night, the rustling pear tree, the raspberries and the stars join…
The most terrible monster in the whole world is here! Everyone runs away, screaming in fear! But no, not everyone: we, the brave picture book readers are not afraid. We will not be scared by a grimace and hideous face! The monster is trying harder and harder, tries to startle us, tries a disguise and…
As soon as Lena opens her shop, all the animals and toys gather round to do their shopping: little horse comes rolling up first, it orders a bowl of porridge. The pig chooses marzipan, the rabbit leek. And right at the end, bear decides on honey waffles—and shares them with all the others! Susanne Göhlich…
Fred and Emil often meet to play football in the afternoons. If it hadn’t been for Mr. Kruzinna, the stupid neighbour! He cannot bear children and football even less. When one day a ball lands in his garden, he refuses to give it back. What are the boys to do? Fred suddenly remembers Zacchaeus from…
Lena’s bear is feeling ill. Everyone chips in to help make him feel better. The horse brings its blanket, the duck warm milk with honey, the polar bear lends bear his scarf and so on. Until, at the end, and thanks to the help of his friends, bear is already feeling a lot better. by…
We are all familiar with this story: the occupied hostel in Bethlehem, the angel, the shepherds in the fields, King Herod, the infanticide. But here, we don’t read the story in Luther’s words, but retold in such a way that the people’s longing for peace is at the heart of it. And we read it…
No less than 33 different vehicles are racing past the reader in this funny board book. A bicycle, a fire engine, a taxi, a digger, a snowplow, a coach, a police car, a limousine, a gangster car, a delivery van, a motorbike with a side car, a fuel tanker … you name it! – they…
The tractor and the donkey are having a contest: which of them is the fastest and will be the first to reach the seaside? They set off; each determined to win the race. Both encounter various delays and obstacles along the way. Whilst the donkey has to hide and run from the wolf, the tractor…
52 Opportunities to Talk About Lies and the Truth Does everyone lie every now and again? Is it allowed to tell white lies? Why do we want to know the truth? Is there always just one truth? Can animals lie? Lies can have far-reaching consequences. But they can also be a last resort. When do…
Elise is lonely and fearful. She never leaves her flat. But one day, a strange object flies in through the open window. And the following day, Elise has an unexpected visitor. This is to be a visit that will change everything … A beautiful, gentle and sympathetic story about how an inquisitive and self-confident child…
Occasions to Think About Nothingness Are we nothing before we are born? Is it possible that nothingness is a hole? Where does a journey into nothingness lead? It is questions such as these that Antje Damm asks in this book and she thus takes children absolutely seriously. Her unique composition of succinct phrases with often…
Will the earth always be there? This is one of the questions Antje Damm poses in her book. Who wants to answer it? But to discuss it, to philosophise about it is fun and prompts us to think about the world in which we live. Where does fear come from? Does it hurt to grow…
Opportunities to Talk About Time Summertime, wintertime, spare time, timeout, best-before-dates – everything has its own time. Antje Damm renders time both visible and tangible – with photos, pictures and thought-provoking impulses. A book that not only children can spend a great deal of time with! It is rather strange with time: sometimes we have…
Jutta Bauer has transformed the well-known children’s rhyme that can also be enacted as a pantomime into a wonderful warm-hearted story about trust and (unlikely) friendships. Expect the unexpected! Marvellous illustrations, this is a true gem! by Jutta Bauer Bücherbüffet Prize 2012 “In her very simple illustrations, Jutta Bauer captures every emotion wonderfully…
Little Gwendolin is ill, she is running a temperature. And her tongue is bright red – children know what that’s like. Also dad saying “I will give you a cuddle. Drink your tea and sleep a little” will be familiar to children. With the tabs they can help Gwendolin to get well again: they can…