Papa Snap is a collector of hair-raising stories: like the one about Robinson Rutabaga, who ran away from home and took the family bathtub with him. Or the one about the hungry sofa. Or about Mr Balduin Breadcrumb, who gave his wife a steamroller for their silver wedding anniversary – very practical for ironing or rolling out pastry. Take a look at the pictures accompanying these sixteen bonkers, wonderful, genuinely original stories, and you will discover characters from Tomi Ungerer’s toy collection, which is on display at the Tomi Ungerer Museum in Strasbourg.

»One, Two, where's my Shoe? – Three, Four, on the Floor!« – These are the only words Tomi Ungerer needs for a story. The rest is told by his subtle and shrewd pictures, which seem to take the viewer for a fool – until he can't help but smile in recognition: Across the book's pages, Tomi Ungerer's pencil conjures up dragonflies, soldiers, scarecrows, a pig and even an ocean liner. And the line is always: ›One, Two, where's my Shoe?‹

Finn and Cara are brother and sister and live on the Irish coast, where sheep graze on the green cliffs, wind howls in the chimney and grey fog rises up above the sea.
One day, when the siblings are out rowing their boat in the bay, thick fog suddenly closes in around them and the current washes them upon an unknown beach. Finn and Cara have landed on Fog Island, from which no one has ever come back alive.
But they do not lose heart, and end up meeting the wondrous master of the island. From him, they learn where the fog comes from.

Giraffe and Mouse really don’t have much in common – it’s more than the fact that one of them is huge and the other is tiny. But when a fire threatens to destroy the forest, Mr. Tall and Mr. Small join forces to save all the animals.

One was big.
One was small.
Mouse was short.
Giraffe was tall.
Mouse was hardly there at all –
They called him Small.

Giraffe was tannish,
Mouse was gray,
Mouse liked night,
Giraffe liked day,
Giraffe could see three miles away –
They called him Tall.
 

Finally they return: Tomi Ungerer's original picture book family – the marvellous Mellops. Whether as cave explorers or aircraft builders, when drilling for oil or hunting for treasure – it is soon apparent that the Mellops family is no ordinary family of pigs. The Mellops family love challenges. The result – spectacular lastminute rescues from a rubber dinghy punctured by stalagmites, forest fires and beaches on deserted islands ... But one thing is certain: having survived the most perilous adventures, the pigs can always look forward to Mrs. Mellops’ wonderful cream cake. All five adventures of the Mellops family in one volume.

Tomi Ungerer answers children’s questions with the irreverent wisdom of a great artist who has never forgotten his inner child. The column from ›Philosophie Magazine‹ – in book form for the first time. »Why am I not you, and why are you not me? Who created God? If someone hits me, is it ok to hit back? Why does money exist? Could it be that I am only dreaming my life? Is there such a thing as nothing? Why do we have to love others and not just ourselves?« The great philosophical questions remain the same, be it two thousand years ago or yesterday, whether we are eighty or eight years old. Tomi Ungerer, the world-famous artist and children’s book writer, is also an idiosyncratic thinker and an untiring champion against prejudice and narrow-mindedness. Children from France and Germany asked him their questions. Ungerer’s answers are surprising, cheeky, funny, thought-provoking – and always inspiring. A philosophy book that makes readers want to think – whether they are children or adults.

Tomi Ungerer has written and illustrated over two dozen children's books, picture books for children and adults. It began in 1957 with the adventures of The Mellops Family. Following famous children's classics such as ›Allumette‹, ›The Three Robbers‹, ›Zeralda's Ogre‹ and ›The Moon Man‹ he has now created a new masterpiece. ›Otto the teddy bear‹ tells the story of his unusual bear's life. One day he falls into the hands of David, a Jewish boy who lives somewhere in a German town. David and his best friend Oscar try to teach the bear to write, but this ends in disaster when Otto spills ink all over his coat and is left with a big lilac stain which marks him for the rest of his teddy bear's life. One day when the boys are playing happily with their teddy, the idyll is rudely interrupted by political changes. A journey into the unknown begins for Otto, and he passes from hand to hand until, after many years, he lands in loving arms once more.

Kopek is a small giant and Samovar a big dwarf. And, lo and behold, they are the same height! A girl races through the big dark forest on a scooter to visit her ill grandmother. Sounds familiar to you? In Tomi Ungerer's subversive fairytale about the power of relativity, the little heroine is called Zloty, and instead of a little red riding hood she wears a red motorcycle helmet. She not only encounters the big bad wolf but also small giants and tall dwarfs: For Zloty, Kopek and Samovar become friends for life. The story of a friendship that overcomes all obstacles – and all differences in height.

Idi and his parents have moved to a new town. He doesn't know anyone there and so nobody comes to his birthday. Thank goodness that, since he was little, his father has always given him tools as presents – at least Idi has something with which to keep himself busy. Out of the things that others throw away, he makes that which he does not have: friends. When Ki, the girl next door, hears the noise coming from Idi's workshop, she grows curious. What is that boy doing? »I'm making friends for myself,« he replies. All of a sudden Ki wants to help out with her sewing machine. The two of them have a lot of fun: while making friends, they become friends. Idi's and Ki's imaginative creations soon fill the whole front garden – the other children come to marvel and would like nothing better than for Idi and Ki to show them how to make ›new friends‹ like that. A children's book about the power of friendship, overcoming prejudice, the joy of creating something together and the unifying force of art and imagination.

Once upon a time there was a small blue cloud. It was happy and contented and did whatever it liked. When all the other clouds were raining, it simply didn't rain with them. The little blue cloud bewitched people on earth and cast a spell on their world. But one day it sees a terrible war on earth and has to take the hardest decision of its life. The little blue cloud succeeds in bringing peace and joy to the world.

The beloved children’s book telling the moving story of a helpful octopus, now in a beautiful revised edition.

The enchanting story of the courageous and friendly octopus Emile, who bravely helps himself and others, humans included. Tomi Ungerer’s charming illustrations not only accompany the story, but open up entirely new worlds.

What do you do if your offspring isn't exactly the spitting image of you? Mr. and Mrs. Cat are faced with this very dilemma when their child turns out to be an adorable little puppy. But what initially seems to be a scandal in Cattown turns out to be the best of both worlds!

»Make the best of your differences. We are all equal and we are all different.«
Tomi Ungerer

Who doesn't know them, Alm-Öhi, Peter the goatherd, Aunt Dete and poor Klara in Frankfurt – Heidi enchants them all. Their story is as old as it is topical, a parable that has attained the status of a classic, a tale about the victory of humaneness and the power of love in a society that has become heartless. The first edition of the children's book classic was published in 1880 when the dark side of technological progress was beginning to make itself felt. It is no coincidence that love of nature prevails over the blessings of modern civilisation.
Tomi Ungerer's wonderful sketches, all the more realistic and lively for their minimalism, allow the text to shine, just adding a punchline here and there – a refreshing addition to one of the most beautiful children's classics in the world!

Adelaide's parents are surprised when they notice that their baby kangaroo has wings. Adelaide herself takes them quite for granted. One day she kisses her family good-bye and flies away, following the first airplane she encounters, finding fame, fortune, adventure, and a handsome kangaroo named Leon.