James Krüss facts for kids

James Krüss (born May 31, 1926 – died August 2, 1997) was a German writer. He wrote many books for children, including picture books. He was also a poet, playwright, and translator. Krüss collected children's poems and folk songs. In 1968, he won the Hans Christian Andersen Award, a very important prize for children's writers.

Early Life and Education

James Jacob Hinrich Krüss was born on Heligoland, a German island. His father, Ludwig Krüss, was an electrician. In 1941, during World War II, everyone on the island had to leave. James and his family moved to different places in Germany.

After high school in 1943, he started studying to become a teacher. He studied in several towns like Lunden and Ratzeburg. In 1944, he joined the German air force, called the Luftwaffe. He was stationed in what is now the Czech Republic when the war ended. After 1945, he lived with his parents in Cuxhaven, Germany.

Starting His Writing Career

In 1946, James Krüss published his first book, Der goldene Faden. He continued his education at a college in Lüneburg. In 1948, he earned his teaching license. However, he never actually worked as a teacher.

That same year, he moved to Reinbek, near Hamburg. There, he started a magazine called Helgoland. This magazine was for the people who had been forced to leave the island of Heligoland. The magazine was published until 1956. In 1949, he moved to Lochham, near Munich, where he met other writers like Erich Kästner.

Famous Works and Awards

From 1956, James Krüss began writing radio plays and poems for children. He often worked with another writer, Peter Hacks. In 1956, he published a popular children's book called The Lighthouse on Lobster Cliffs.

His well-known picture book Henriette came out in 1958. It was about a steam locomotive that acted like a person. This book started a series of similar stories. In 1960, Krüss became very famous after reading from his book My Great Grandfather and I on German TV. This book also won the German Prize for Children's and Youth Literature that year.

In 1962, his most famous book, Timm Thaler, was published. This story was later made into a popular TV miniseries in 1979. In the United Kingdom, it was known as The Boy Who Lost His Laugh.

In 1965, James Krüss bought a house on Gran Canaria, an island in Spain. He moved there a year later. In 1968, he received the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. This is one of the highest honors for children's authors. James Krüss passed away in 1997 in Gran Canaria. His ashes were scattered at sea near Heligoland.

His Lasting Impact

James Krüss was a wonderful storyteller. His amazing and imaginative tales were often like old folk stories. Many of his books are collections of tales held together by a main story. Examples include My Great Grandfather and I and The Lighthouse on the Lobster Cliffs.

Krüss was one of the most important children's authors in Germany after World War II. At that time, there weren't many new children's books. He helped bring back creative and imaginative storytelling for young readers. His first children's book, The Lighthouse on Lobster Island, was inspired by his own childhood on Heligoland.

To honor his memory, the James Krüss Award for International Children’s and Youth Literature was created. This award celebrates other great writers of children's and youth literature. Some of the winners include:

• 2013 Joke van Leeuwen
• 2015 Frank Cottrell Boyce
• 2017 Andreas Steinhöfel
• 2019 Frida Nilsson