Annette Langen facts for kids
Annette Langen (born on April 29, 1967) is a German writer. She writes books for children and young adults. Since 1989, she has written over 100 books! Her stories have been translated into more than 30 languages around the world. Her most famous work is the children's book series Letters from Felix. This series, which started in 1994, is about a traveling stuffed rabbit named Felix.
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About Annette Langen's Life and Books
Annette Langen grew up in Leichlingen, Germany, in a family that owned a bookstore. After finishing high school, she trained to become a bookseller herself. She then traveled to the U.S. to study publishing.
When she returned to Germany, Annette worked as an editor for a children's book publisher. This means she helped decide which books to publish. During this time, she started writing her own children's books. Since 2000, she has been a full-time writer. Annette Langen has two children and lives in Bergisches Land.
The Story of Felix
Annette Langen became very well-known in 1994 with her book Letters from Felix. Constanza Droop drew the pictures for this book. The book was praised for being a "Pedagogically Valuable Picture Book." Parts of it were even used in school textbooks! In Israel, Letters from Felix was the first German book since 1945 to become a bestseller.
Many more books about Felix have been published since then. There are also non-fiction books, a world atlas for kids, audiobooks, and games. Felix's adventures have even been turned into TV shows, movies, and a musical!
Other Fun Books and Projects
Starting in 2000, Annette Langen created another series called Die kleine Motzkuh. These books, with drawings by Imke Sönnichsen and Dorothea Ackroyd, use humor to talk about family problems and show how to solve them. In 2010, she published Der kleine Herr G.Ott oder wie die Welt ein bisschen besser werden könnte. This book talks about big topics like religion, war, and peace from a child's point of view.
Besides writing, Annette Langen also helps with projects that encourage reading. She also supports projects that help children fit in. For example, in 2001, she became a volunteer helper for an elementary school. Since 2011, she has been a reading ambassador for Germany's Stiftung Lesen (German Reading Foundation). In 2012, she became a helper for a mentoring project in Coesfeld. Since 2014, she has been a member of Soroptimist International. This is a group of women who volunteer to help others worldwide. For World Book Day in 2016, her book Im Bann des Tornados (Under the Spell of the Tornado) was published. Over a million copies were given out!
Awards and Honors
Annette Langen has won many awards for her books and her work:
- Book of the Year / Flying Turtle Award in Iran for Letters from Felix (2015)
- ITB Berlin Book Award for Letters from Felix (2014)
- Book of the Month for Unsere eigene Weihnachtsgeschichte (2012)
- Golden Record (Goldene Schalplatte) for Letters from Felix (2010)
- Decade-Project Education for Sustainable Development through UNESCO for the first Felix Naturetrail in Germany (2008)
- Favorite Choice for Felix bei den Kindern der Welt (2006)
- North Rhine-Westphalia Prize “Art and Culture for Children and Adolescents” for her project with a Solingen Elementary School (2005)
- “Feather of the Month” award for Letters from Felix in the Netherlands (1995)
See also
- List of animated feature films: 2005
- List of animated feature films: 2006
