Children’s books about Germany

Welcome to the children’s books set in Germany section of Kids Travel Books. It’s part of our children’s books based in Europe on the Global Bookshelf. We’re so glad you’re here. Don’t forget to read our Germany for kids resources.

Highlighting Books Set in Germany for Kids

The Brothers Grimm

Many of the fairytales Americans grow up knowing as classics originated from the Brothers Grimm. According to Wikipedia, the brothers collected oral folk stories and legends around Germany, compiled them, and then released them. Their methodology is the basis for folklore studies today.

For KidsTravelBooks it provides an easy suggestion for families who are interested in teaching their kids more about Germany. Whether you’re doing it for cultural reasons or because you plan to travel there soon, Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales are an important part of the German storytelling tradition. An Illustrated Treasury of Grimm’s Fairy Tales: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel and many more classic stories is a good place to start as it includes many of the popular fairy tales kids are probably already familiar with and some new ones, as well.

Picture books set in Germany

We actually have Germany ABCs. It is what it seems it would be, an alphabetical look at all things Germany. I like it because using the alphabet helps to create a natural flow of seemingly unrelated aspects of German life. It informs widely and quickly. Plus, the illustrations are nice.

If M. Sasek made a “This is” book for a specific place, I have to recommend it. I just love this classic that, I feel, raised the bar and set the standard for what a children’s picture book about places around the world should be. And, lucky for us, he made This is Munich.

German Language Book for Kids

So, if the “This is” series is my favorite classic children’s travel book series, the “Teach Me Everyday” series is my favorite language book series for kids. And if this book exists for a specific language, I will recommend it. The Teach Me Everyday German book sits in my car. We listen to the CD because the repetition, alternating English and German, and kids voices make it fun for my kids. Kids will not become native or even proficient speakers with this series, but they will have a fun time learning everyday phrases, important words, and children’s songs.

Children’s chapter books set in Germany

The following chapter books are geared for kids ages 8 & up.

Emil and the Detectives was originally published in Germany in the late 1920s. It takes place in Berlin and uses vivid descriptions to describe both the city and Emil’s life. This is the type of book that, upon further inspection, readers love. It sticks with people.

In addition to that, the history of the book is interesting. Just a few years after the publication of this book, Nazi’s took power in Germany. Books were banned and burned. Somehow, this book was able to survive the ban. However, the author’s sequel (Emil and the Three Twins, written in 1934) and other books by the author, were burned.

Another thing to note: This was originally published in German. Many seem to prefer older translations of the book that don’t use current American English slang. You may be able to still find those copies.

When the wall went up in Berlin, families were separated if they weren’t on the same side of the wall. This happened in real life and this is the basis of this fictional story A Night Divided. I give more thoughts about this book, and my personal interest in it, in the description section of the book here.

Books set in Germany – recommendations for adults

I think it’s fun to read about a place while my kids are looking at books about the same place. If you’re the same way, here are three recommendations for books set in Germany that you might enjoy:

• The Book Thief: While technically a young adult book, it’s age range is too old to be part of our regular books for this site and it’s weird to have a book list about books for Germany and not include. It’s a good book.
• All the Light We Cannot See: If we’re being technical, again, this isn’t just set in Germany. It takes place in France as well. It may actually take place significantly more in France. However, people love this book. And I love it because the place the main male character grew up happens to be where I lived in Germany for 5 years… and I love seeing places I know in a book, especially places that aren’t often written about. Plus the descriptions are good.

German Cookbooks

I think it’s fun to sample the food of a country, too. So here are some cookbooks for German food. Click on the image to go to the Amazon description:

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Germany children’s books: