Motivated by the many positive feedbacks of last year, we decided to let the “Day of the Book” take place outdoors again. On the grounds behind the elementary school, eight reading stations were set up for the book “Die Umwelt-Konferenz der Tiere” ( "The Environmental Conference of Animals ") by Anita van Saan. On June 8 and 9, in bright summer weather, the entertaining and informative walking could begin.

In order to make the time spent at the eight stations not too long, we had shortened the text, but left the catchy rhyming form.  Often, one or the other particularly skilled reader was able to read aloud to his or her class. A variety of animals informed us about the serious situation of our planet.

After each animal's message, there were eager discussions, comments, and suggestions from our students about how we could follow each animal's calls for help and advice. At each station was a picture of the animal speaking. Mrs. Hardage had designed these artistic signposts.

Along the trail, we marveled at models of bee hotels that the School Entry Level students had made. The fourth graders had hung a large fishing net with all kinds of trash on the fence. Here we could see with our own eyes what negative impact our throwaway society has on the environment. The many colorful posters urgently calling for environmental protection also attracted a lot of attention.

At the end of the reading path there were again the impatiently awaited surprises. At three tables our volunteers were waiting for the thirsty and heated hikers. "Who wants a frog or bee tattoo?" Or, to remember the stamp: "Extinction is forever"? It was exciting to assemble the bee hotels that now decorate the Polinator garden in front of the elementary school. To commemorate the day, each student was allowed to plant a sunflower seed in a pot to take home. At the end, there was refreshing water and sweet treats, artfully decorated as bees, sunflowers and jaguars.

The hot topic of the book, with its call for everyone to protect our environment, delighted young and old alike.

A special thank you to our eager volunteers, the generous financial support of the Friends, and all the colleagues for their help.

The book team

Ingrid Wrausmann and Ursula Eberhard