ZEIT's April Children's and Youth Book Recommendations Highlight Swedish Author's Work

The ZEIT newspaper has released its monthly best-of list for children's and youth literature for April. Twenty editors from the publication's staff vote to select the five featured books each month. Katrin Hörnlein presents the current selections. Among the highlighted titles is '12 Süßigkeiten und 2 Todesfälle' by Swedish author and comic artist Elin Lindell, translated into German by Katharina Erben. Published by Klett Kinderbuch in 2026, this 176-page children's novel is recommended for readers aged eight and up. The story follows Uno, an eight-year-old shy child who struggles to connect with others. He meets a girl named Katjes while visiting his step-grandfather in a hospital's palliative care unit. Katjes is there visiting her grandmother. The children bond through imaginative play about apocalyptic scenarios while their families attend to the seriously ill relatives. The narrative explores themes of loss, childhood fears, the joy of unrestrained play, personal growth, and an extraordinary friendship. Lindell balances serious subject matter with a light touch in both text and illustrations. The book has been described as a small gem in children's literature.