Hatje Cantz continues its remarkable series of illustrated children's books - a program that not only conveys knowledge but also gives illustration a powerful stage as an art form. In children’s books, words and images meet in a way that allows science and imagination to unfold together, creating visual narratives that can only emerge when artists are given true creative freedom.

Working closely with authors, illustrators transform abstract ideas into accessible visual stories that spark curiosity and make complex themes intuitive to grasp. Illustration creates atmosphere; it emotionalizes, explains, organizes – and opens spaces that pure text often cannot reach. A beautiful example of this approach is LIFE (As We Know It) / 'Was wir über Leben auf der Erde wissen.'

“In the beginning – though there wasn’t really a beginning, because there wasn’t yet time - the entire universe was contained within a single tiny point …” With poetic language, the book recounts the formation of the... more