As of: February 15, 2024, 5:32 a.m
By: Sven Trautwein
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For the entertainer Anke Engelke, children's books should be modernized and not banned.
© Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
Disputes over the deletion of inappropriate passages in children's books continue to heat up people's minds.
Entertainer Anke Engelke would rather modernize rather than ban.
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The works of children's book authors such as Astrid Lindgren, Michael Ende, Otfried Preußler and Roald Dahl have enjoyed great popularity among young and old for generations.
Nevertheless, there are always debates on social networks relating to these books.
These discussions often focus on expressions that are considered outdated.
In particular, passages of text that could be offensive are criticized.
Some publishers decide to change the texts in consultation with the authors or the rights holders.
However, there are also children's books that are no longer published.
This approach is described by some critics as censorship.
Anke Engelke sees it much more calmly.
Actress and author Anke Engelke spoke in an interview with the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
about adapting old classic children's books to modern language standards.
She believes that such an update can make sense.
“I find it interesting to look at existing works in a new way and update them,” says Engelke.
However, she opposes banning books based on outdated concepts or expressions.
“It's better to use an existing template and say: the core is fine, everything is there.
Let’s see if we can’t make it a little more modern.”
Engelke emphasizes that changes made should first be discussed and then explained in the book.
She sees parents as having particular responsibility here, not just as readers of the books, according to the
Catholic News Agency (kna)
.
“We are also the ones who exchange ideas and communicate with other parents.
I don't want hysteria, I don't want this 'Now we're not allowed to say that anymore,'" emphasizes the entertainer.
“Nobody forbids us to do anything, but we should expect ourselves to deal with the topic.” There are five tips on how to make reading aloud more exciting.
Anke Engelke: New edition of “The Bunny School”
For the 100th anniversary, Engelke has published a new edition of the children's book “The Bunny School”.
The content of this differs greatly from the original by Albert Sixtus and Fritz Koch-Gotha from 1924. In the new version, the rabbit and the fox are friends, while humans, as environmental destroyers, take on the role of the villain.
Engelke admitted that she initially struggled with the publisher's decision.
“But portraying humans as the villain is something I had to accept for the sake of the story.”
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Anke Engelke “The New Bunny School”
With illustrations by Mareike Ammersken
2024 Thienemann, ISBN-13 978-3-480-23838-5
Price: pre-order, €14, 40 pages
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