The Beltz Publishing House was founded in 1841 in Bad Langensalza and has been publishing not only books for children and teens since 1971, but also non-fiction books and reference books, the social science program Beltz Juventa and specialized books and magazines covering psychology and education, including Germany’s leading magazine on psychology, »Psychologie Heute«.
In 1971, publisher Dr. Manfred Beltz Rübelmann founded the children’s and youth book program Beltz & Gelberg, which was directed until 1997 by Hans-Joachim Gelberg. In 1986 the paperback book series ›Gulliver‹ was founded and 2004 the most successful paperback picture book series ›MINIMAX‹ was added. In 2016 the Beltz Group celebrated their company's 175th anniversary. In 2002 the publishing group acquired the extensive book rights from Middelhauve and in 2012 all the titles from the Swiss picture and children’s book publishing house, Bajazzo.
Every two years the publishing group awards the Peter-Härtling-Preis. An independent jury selects the winner from unpublished children’s and youth book manuscripts. The winning manuscript is later published by Beltz & Gelberg.
The whole spectrum of children’s and youth literature ranging from picture and children’s books to teen and non-fiction books is covered by the publishing group. Many well-known and successful authors and illustrators published their first books by Beltz & Gelberg: Jutta Bauer, Peter Härtling, Nikolaus Heidelbach, Janosch, Klaus Kordon, Erwin Moser, Christine Nöstlinger, Mirjam Pressler, Rafik Schami, Axel Scheffler…
Over the course of 50 years, further names have been added to the list: Martin Baltscheit, Zoran Drvenkar, Christian Duda, Christina Erbertz, Wieland Freund, Doro Göbel, Lena Hach, Sybille Hein, Helme Heine, Stefanie Höfler, Jörg Isermeyer, Peter Knorr, Stephan Knösel, Labor Ateliergemeinschaft, Leo Lionni, Salah Naoura, Korky Paul, Alois Prinz, Gerda Raidt, Verena Reinhardt, Ingo Siegner, Philip Waechter, Katrin Wiehle, Martina Wildner...
Besides award-winning and popular picture books and novels for children and teens, small as well as bestselling series shape the program: Katrin Wiehle’s Naturwelt, the 100% sustainable book series for children aged 3, picture books by successful pair Axel Scheffler and Julia Donaldson, witty stories for first readers »Lust auf Lesen«, the »Eliot & Isabella«-book series by Ingo Siegner, the German editions of the bestseller fantasy series »Warrior Cats« by Erin Hunter, selected non-fiction books about nature and society and the activity doodle books by the artists’ studio cooperation Labor Ateliergemeinschaft.
In 1986 Gulliver was founded as a paperback program for Beltz & Gelberg. In the 35 years since it has developed into an independent program with a strong focus on the promotion of reading. Gulliver’s mission is to make stories of different genres accessible to all children and teens, as reading is a basic prerequisite for social participation. Therefore, Gulliver publishes enjoyable stories of quality on a variety of subjects that affect young readers. The program features novels for 5-16 year olds, stories written in a simple form for readers aged 10 and above, school readings and novels translated into »Einfache Sprache« as well as the series »Super lesbare Bücher« for children and teens with reading difficulties.
At Beltz|Der KinderbuchVerlag (The Children’s Publisher), classics like »Der kleine Angsthase« which characterized the children’s literature scene of the former German Democratic Republic are re-published. Authors include Benno Pludra, Hannes Hüttner, Eva Strittmatter and Werner Heiduczek as well as the illustrators Werner Klemke, Gerhard Lahr, Ingeborg Meyer-Rey, Elizabeth Shaw and many more.
Psst, there’s a thief on the loose! He sneaks into the house and packs everything that is not firmly nailed down into his big bag. Just a moment ago the vase was there, now it’s gone. And poof, the teddy bear is gone, too. But when the thief tries to steal the fat sausage from the refrigerator, it’s all over. Because there’s someone in the house who has very good ears and a fine nose as well …
An interactive picture book: sneak between the pages, search and compare.
Diva, the young dog lady, lives a life of haute culture! From her cushion in the corner window, she keeps the city park in view and her mistress and master on their toes. But beware the day when fate sweeps Diva
off her plush cushion and into adventure! Forgotten in the woods and left to her own devices, Diva finds
herself in the sights of three hungry animals. Can Diva escape the wild forest?
The first time Anni and Fred see each other is in a café. The second time at a frozen lake in which Anni bathes secretly every morning. The very next morning Fred dives into the icecold water with her. They come closer, cautiously, and Anni finds out that Fred is “trans”. All of a sudden new words are needed because the old ones can be either wrong or hurtful. A sensitive, life-affirming novel about first love in which everything feels new and wonderful.
Mischa finds the statements of his best friend Nits super. Nits admires the multi-talented Mischa because he knows a thousand facts about animals. Nits would have unconditionally believed everything Mischa says, until he stumbles across more and more lies and learns that behind it all there are completely different truths. But how could he not have seen all this!? A stirring story of poverty, shame, and injustice. A novel in which the award-winning author Stefanie Höfler describes the power of deep trust, of vulnerability and courage. And of a phenomenal friendship that survives even that.
By which route does the nut travel to the chocolate cream? How many hands does a chair pass through before it reaches our table? WIth her unmistakable attention to detail, Julia Dürr travels behind our everyday objects in this largeformat nonfiction book: These objects – and the raw materials they are made of – have travelled incredibly long distances. Along the way, they pass exciting places: the cargo ship, the freight station, the high-shelf warehouse outside the city, and even the shopping bag in which we carry them home.
What do fish sticks, concrete and electricity have in common? They all come from the sea! We don’t just enjoy the sound of the surf, collecting shells and swimming – we use the seas and oceans every single day. We eat fish and other sea creatures and extract raw materials such as sand, oil and cobalt from the seabed. Wind and tides can generate electricity. And the oceans are important transport routes: for cargo ships, but also for data lines that run along the ocean floor. But the ocean needs protection, so that it can fulfill its most
important function: keeping the climate in balance.
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Beltz & Gelberg in der Verlagsgruppe Beltz
Werderstraße 10
69469 Weinheim
Germany
Phone +49 (0)6201 60 07-0
Publisher Marianne Rübelmann (-353)
Director of the Children’s and Youth Books Publishers Petra Albers (-357)
Program Directors Beatrice Wallis (-360), Christian Walther (Gulliver; -328)
Editorial Department Andrea Baron (-391), Matthea Dörrich (-380), Carolin Eichenlaub (-397), Barbara Gelberg (-364)
Marketing Franziska Schiebe (Manager; -440)
Events Sassa Kraft (-399)
Foreign Rights Kerstin Michaelis (-327)