THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE (picture book)

Nominated Kate Greenaway Prize

Winner Nami Concours 2021 for artwork

A German Academy for Children's and Young Adult Literature ‘Book of the Month’

A Deutschlandradio ‘Top Seven Book’ / ‘Book of the Month’ (twice)

A beautiful picture book adaptation of Thomas Harding's Costa-shortlisted biography, exquisitely illustrated by Britta Teckentrup.

Thomas Harding first shared this remarkable story in his Costa-shortlisted biography The House by the Lake – now he has rendered it into a deeply moving picture book for young readers. On the outskirts of Berlin, a wooden cottage stands on the shore of a lake. Over the course of a century, this little house played host to a loving Jewish family, a renowned Nazi composer, wartime refugees and a Stasi informant; in that time, a world war came and went, and the Berlin Wall was built a stone's throw from the cottage's back door. With words that read like a haunting fairy tale, and magnificent illustrations by Britta Teckentrup, this is the astonishing true story of the house by the lake.

  • Publishing in 2020, the 75th anniversary year of the end of World War II.

  • The original biography was critically acclaimed – we hope to build on its success, but Thomas's new rendering of the story stands on its own as a remarkable picture-book text.

  • Evocative pictures by award-winning illustrator Britta Teckentrup.

About the author

Thomas Harding is an author and journalist who has written for the Financial Times, The Sunday Times (London), The Washington Post, and The Guardian, among other publications. He cofounded a television station in Oxford and for many years was an award-winning documentary maker. He also ran a local newspaper in West Virginia, winning the West Virginia Association of Justice’s Journalist of the Year Award, before moving back to England in 2011, where he lives with his family.

About the illustrator

Britta Teckentrup's strikingly beautiful picture books have been published in more than twenty countries. They include Tree, Bee, Moon, Ocean and Under the Same Sky, which was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Born in Hamburg and educated in London at St. Martin's College and the Royal College of Art, she currently lives with her family in Berlin. See her work online at brittateckentrup.com, and follow her on Instagram at @britta_teckentrup.

See Britta’s development spreads from her website.

Book Details

ISBN: 9781406385557
Imprint: Walker Studio
Binding: Hardback
Release Date: September 1, 2020
Dimensions: 280 x 255mm, 48pp

Publishers:

For book covers go to this link

REVIEWS

“The summer house on Groß Glienicker See is a symbol of the 20th century. […] Intense moments from the perspective of the building make history come alive.” - Börsenblatt, Stefan Hauck

“An extensive picture break in which Thomas Harding tells German history, impressively accompanied by the wonderful illustrations by Britta Teckentrup, who manages to capture the mood of the time incredibly well.” - Maria Linsmann, Best 7

“The author and illustrator succeeds in transforming the historical space into a sensitive reading experience with minimal text and a coherent choice of day and season. […] This artfully woven picture book has many layers and a lot to tell. It offers a sensitive, first introduction to our contemporary history and tells poetically about the passing of time, the life of people in it, the importance of looking back and remembering, but above all about the happiness of preservation.” - Katrin Rüger, Buchpalast Munich

“Telling in a child-friendly and warm-hearted way and beautifully illustrated.” - Borromedia