All Around Bustletown by Rotraut Susanne Berner Series Giveaway

Prestel’s new All Around Bustletown series by Rotraut Susanne Berner follows the activities of a charming, bustling town over the course of all four seasons! If you look closer, you’ll recognize the same characters appear on every page, each with their own story.  In the tradition of Richard Scarry and Where’s Waldo, this series encourages kids to return again and again to each spread, following along with the characters and inventing their own stories. They’ll recognize parts of their own world, while also learning about the endless ways we live, work, and play in each season. Kids will spend hours poring over these oversized pages of vibrantly detailed drawings in this joyfully illustrated series.

What critics are saying about All Around Bustletown

“What is it about cross-section illustrations — the kind where you can see everything going on inside a house, upstairs and down, all at once — that makes them so mesmerizing? Berner, one of Germany’s best-known children’s authors and illustrators, excels at these fascinating dollhouse-type scenes, a staple of the German genre known as Wimmelbooks. Hers are jam-packed with old and young characters engaged in prosaic, silly or mysterious activities that young readers can spend hours poring over…Parents and grandparents may be especially susceptible to this giant board book’s old-fashioned charms.”

The New York Times

“This book is more than just a sea of samey same same white faces. Amazing how that contributes to the joy of picking out all the details and repeating characters. A seek-and-find book for the 21st century.”

School Library Journal

All Around Bustletown Series Details

All Around Bustletown: Spring (ISBN: 978-3791374093), a house gets a top-to-bottom spring cleaning and farm fields are being prepared for planting. People are shopping, commuting to work, constructing buildings, and meeting friends. If you look closer, you’ll recognize the same characters appear on every page, each with their own story. There’s Wilfred the jogger slipping on a banana peel and his friend Erica who comes to help him. Three cheerful nuns shop, chat, and share a snack at the cafe. A stork surveys all the activity from the sky while a mischievous fox scampers through the streets. 

All Around Bustletown: Summer (ISBN: 978-3791374208) and that means flowers, picnics, thunderstorms, and bike rides. It’s a busy time for construction workers, farmers, and house painters. Playgrounds are filled with kids and vacationers are boarding trains in droves. In the sky a pair of balloons drifts through every scene, while on the street people of all ages make their way to an outdoor birthday party. There’s even a big storm that turns umbrellas inside out, sends hats flying, but ends in a lovely rainbow.

All Around Bustletown: Fall (ISBN: 978-3791374222). Farmers are preparing the fields for winter and kids are back in school. 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. Familiar characters appear on each page–a maestro and a violinist, a balloon-toting nun, and a mom with her baby. All the activity culminates in a harvest celebration lit by dozens of paper lanterns in every shape and size.

All Around Bustletown: Winter (ISBN: 978-3791374154) and everywhere you look people are embracing the season. At home there’s baking, reading, and sleeping in, while on the farm the fields are fallow and quiet. Outside people are bundled up against the cold as they are skating, sledding, and running to catch a crowded bus. The town’s buildings are alive with activity–piano lessons, a dentist appointment, shopping for presents, and visiting the museum. 

Giveaway open to US only. Must be 18+ or have parents permission to enter. Only one entry per household allowed. Prizing and samples provided by Prestel Publishing. Giveaway ends May 1, 2020. Visit Giveaway Terms & Conditions for additional details and rules.