Tessloff Verlag

The Tessloff publishing house

"Simpler and therefore better." Tessloff Verlag's credo says it all. It was coined by Ragnar Tessloff, who founded the publishing house for children and young people in 1956. Today, Tessloff Verlag is one of Europe’s leading publishers of non-fiction books for children and was awarded the German Publishing Prize in 2020. Tessloff is also the first children's and young people’s book publisher to report non-financial performance indicators in accordance with the German Sustainability Code (DNK) and is committed to climate protection and environmental education as well as social issues such as the promotion of reading and democracy.

Tessloff wants to inspire children with knowledge, and encourage them to use it to help shape the future. The publisher wants children to go through life with self-confidence and to find their individual place in the world and in society. This self-image is the basis for the multimedia publishing program, which introduces kids of all ages to factual knowledge in a playful way – of the highest standard, simply explained, and always at eye level.

With the brands WAS IST WAS, WAS IST WAS Junior and WAS IST WAS Meine Welt, the publishing house has created brands that are already published in 45 languages and more than 100 countries. WAS IST WAS has become a cult brand in the children's book segment, offering knowledge transfer for different age groups and in different media formats - from books, quiz books and puzzle books to the WAS IST WAS online presence and radio plays. The series WAS IST WAS Erstes Lesen and WAS IST WAS Erstes Lesen easy! provide factual knowledge specifically tailored to the needs of early readers in elementary school and offer didactically sound support for learning to read, one of the most important skills. The new thematic reading puzzles in the series are Tessloff's answer to IGLU and PISA.

WAS IST WAS has also established itself as a strong brand in the digital world. With the Alexa skill "WAS IST WAS Quiz", you can playfully become an expert in areas such as technology, animals, space, etc. Since 2021, the vast world of knowledge from WAS IST WAS has also been available as a podcast. With over 1.8 million downloads, it is one of the most popular audio formats in the "Kids and Family" category.

Tessloff Verlag has also been a very successful publisher of knowledge-based children's literature for several years. In the series Der kleine Major Tom (Little Major Tom), based on an idea by singer Peter Schilling, everything revolves around the adventures in space and on Earth of the likeable main character Tom, his girlfriend Stella, and the smart robot cat Plutinchen. A wide range of products has been created around the popular little astronaut, including radio plays, party accessories, clothes and calendars. In his successful series Der Kleine Mediziner (The Little Medic), the well-known physician Prof. Dr. Dietrich Grönemeyer combines action-packed adventure stories with useful knowledge about the human body and health. Since 2023, Benjamin Schreuder's ZeitBande has been publishing a children's detective series in a historical setting that combines historical background knowledge into an exciting package. The #Datendetektive book series by Jaromir Konecny takes an entertaining look at the topics of artificial intelligence and robotics.

Individual titles such as "Biomes of the World" and "How Much Rainforest Fits on This Bread?”, with a strong illustrative approach to knowledge transfer, complete the book portfolio.

The successful Fit for School series, popular with schoolkids, parents and teachers alike, makes the learning process easy and fun. While the "Learn and Understand" booklets explain and repeat school material, the varied exercise books, test booklets and 5-minute blocks allow students to practice and consolidate what they have learned in a playful way.
Another mainstay of the Tessloff programme is activity books for preschool and elementary school children. These include coloring and sticker books as well as a colorful selection of board books for children from 0 to 36 months.

With the BOOKii digital audio pen, Tessloff has successfully bridged the gap between the analog world of print and the digital age. BOOKii allows children to explore books with their eyes and ears. They simply tap the tip of the digital audio pen on pictures or text and original sounds are heard, characters begin to speak, or text is read aloud.

More information available at:
tessloff.com

Preview Catalogues

Publications

  • Stinkers, Suckers, Slimers. 22 Fascinating Creepy Animals

    Author
    Katja Trippel
    Illustrator
    Ole Häntzschel
    Infos
  • WAS IST WAS Vol. 147: The Toilet. Everything you need to know

    Author
    Florian Kinast
    Infos
  • The Time Travel Gang Vol. 2: Knights' Tournament in Flames

    Author
    Benjamin Schreuder
    Illustrator
    Dominik Rupp
    Infos
  • Little Major Tom Vol. 19: The Dinosaurs attack!

    Author
    Bernd Flessner / Peter Schilling
    Illustrator
    Stefan Lohr
    Infos
  • First Reading - Reading Puzzles. Planets

    Author
    Julia Meyer
    Illustrator
    Marie Gerstner
    Infos

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Stinkers, Suckers, Slimers. 22 Fascinating Creepy Animals

  • Katja Trippel
  • Illustrated by Ole Häntzschel
  • Spring 2024, 96 pages, 23 x 27.8 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 8+
  • All rights available

Dogs, cats, squirrels and bees are cute and every child likes them. But there are also many animals that don't win any beauty contests and struggle through life without the cuddle factor: they are slimy, creepy, scary or simply disgusting. However, these animals do incredible things for their survival, and ours. Vultures protect us from nasty pathogens. A small crab produces a loud bang when threatened, which even alarms submarine captains and causes glass to break, and the hirudin produced by slimy leeches inhibits inflammation and relieves pain. Reason enough to give these and other heroic animals a stage and honour their outstanding talents and characteristics. Plus: specials such as "The deadliest animals in the world". An exciting non-fiction book for children aged 8 and up with amazing statistics and unique graphics that will stay in your head and make you think.

The Time Travel Gang Vol. 2: Knights' Tournament in Flames

  • Benjamin Schreuder
  • Illustrated by Ole Häntzschel
  • Spring 2024, 72 pages, 15.8 x 21.5 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 8+
  • All rights available

"What's that horn?" The three friends Adam, Niko and Tinka discover it deep in the bushes and want to find out where it came from. With the help of the mysterious time window in Tinka's father's study, the three end up in the hustle and bustle of the Middle Ages. Exciting adventures and even a visit to a jousting tournament follow. As the grand finale approaches, a fire breaks out and a dramatic rumour spreads: the sacred horn - supposedly the horn of a legendary unicorn - has been stolen! So was the fire just a diversionary manoeuvre? With the second volume of the Time Travel Gang, children aged 8 and up experience another exciting adventure against a historical backdrop. Authentic details and lots of background knowledge bring the Middle Ages to life.

Little Major Tom Vol. 19: The Dinosaurs attack!

  • Bernd Flessner / Peter Schilling
  • Illustrated by Stefan Lohr
  • Spring 2024, 72 pages, 15.8 x 21.5 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 7+
  • Rights sold to Albania, Hungary, P. R. China, United Arab Emirates

In this adventure, little Major Tom, his astronaut friend Stella and robot cat Plutinchen are travelling to Mexico. On their test flight with the Space Racer they want to take a look at the Chicxulub crater. The meteorite impact that formed the crater 66 million years ago is said to be responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs. But are the dinos really extinct? Tom and Stella narrowly escape a T-Rex and find mysterious tracks. Where do the dinosaurs come from and will the friends escape from this jungle in one piece? The 19th volume offers plenty of factual dinosaurs knowledge packed into an exciting adventure story.
Whether dangerous sandstorms on Mars, black holes in space or comet alarms: little Major Tom, the young astronaut Stella and the clever robot cat Plutinchen set off from the space station Space Camp 1 to exciting adventures in space. With joint forces and as a strong team, the three friends master every challenge and learn along the way about fascinating scientific phenomena around space and the planets.

WAS IST WAS First Reading - Reading Puzzles

  • Julia Meyer
  • Illustrated by Marie Gerstner
  • Spring 2024, 48 pages, 17 x 24 cm
  • Softcover
  • Ages 7+
  • All rights available

First Reading - Reading Puzzles. Planets
Exciting knowledge about planets awakens the joy of reading in children aged 7 and over. Young readers learn and puzzle about space knowledge while fun puzzles make the reading process even more entertaining and motivating!

WAS IST WAS First Reading - Reading Puzzles
With the reading puzzles in the WAS IST WAS First Reading series, favourite topics meet favourite puzzles. Each chapter starts with a double-page reading text. Great photos complement the texts and make you want to discover new worlds of knowledge. With tricky word snakes, exciting search puzzles, quiz questions about the text and many other entertaining puzzles, children train their visual perception of letters and words, the connection of individual letters to words and reading with the ability to recognise meaning. This makes practising reading fun! As a further highlight, each booklet contains a sticker sheet with around 25 stickers. Some of the stickers are needed to solve the tasks, all the others are waiting to be sticked on your favourite things.

WAS IST WAS My World Vol. 1 So Angry, So Happy – My Feelings

  • Andrea Weller-Essers
  • Illustrated by Simone Leiss-Bohn
  • Spring 2022, 16 pages, 17 x 19.6 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 2+
  • All rights available

The new series WAS IST WAS My World offers first knowledge, that gently explains children at the age of 2 years their everyday world!
The stories cover everyday topics that are important for the very young. The balanced mix of narrative and factual content is ideal for reading aloud. Emotional, expressive illustrations offer a lot of fun while discovering.
In volume 1 Ida and Anton are going to the playground where Anton wants to go the big slide! But it's pretty high ... And Ida wants to ride the wiggly animal first! So many feelings from super happy to very angry occur: What feels so nice and tingly? And what do I do with my anger?
A funny story and cheeky illustrations from children's everyday lives make small and big feelings understandable.

WAS IST WAS First Reading, Vol. 17. Wild Cats

  • Christina Braun
  • Illustrated by Annelie Stenzel
  • Autumn 2021, 64 pages, 17.5 x 24.5 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 7+
  • Rights sold to Hungary, The Netherlands

Roaring lions, snoozing tigers and cheetahs quick as an arrow: With WAS IST WAS First Reading “Wild Cats” young readers at reading level 2 (2nd grade) improve their reading skills and learn a lot of interesting facts about the wild relatives of our domestic cats! The large primer font, short texts, and clearly structured layout make it easy for children to read. Lia, the leopardess, accompanies them through the book and in the info boxes they find amazing facts. At the end of each chapter, questions from the reading quiz invite children to test their newly acquired factual knowledge: In this way, cat fans learn why cats of prey are such good hunters and how the European wild cats live!

The Little Medicus Vol.5 Crime Scene at the Burger Bar

  • Prof. Dr. Dietrich Grönemeyer
  • Illustrated by Sabine Rothmund
  • Spring 2022, 72 pages, 15.8 x 21.5 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 8+
  • Rights sold to Hungary

In the fifth adventure of The Little Medicus Nano and his friends try to find out if Grandpa Erwin’s favourite fast-food joint serves only healthy food as it is said to be. But if the snacks are really so healthy, why are Grandpa's cholesterol levels way too high? What was in the van the kids saw behind the diner? An exciting espionage action begins, in which Nano is shrunk which allows him to secretly enter the Burger kitchen in a mini drone. What scams will he uncover there?
The fifth volume in the series "Der kleine Medicus" by the well-known author and physician Prof. Dr. Dietrich Grönemeyer combines exciting entertainment with factual knowledge about healthy nutrition, allergies and the functions of the human body.

Little Major Tom. Space School Vol. 3 Super Materials. Components of the Future

  • Dr. Bernd Flessner
  • Illustrated by Stefan Lohr
  • Autumn 2021, 72 pages, 20.3 x 25.5 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 8+
  • All rights available

What kind of super material are nanotubes? Who invented porcelain? And does plastic always have to be made from mineral oil? In this new volume of Little Major Tom’s Space School little astronaut Tom and his friend Stella want to know everything about “Super Materials” like memory metals, superconductors and pineapple leather! Plutinchen their clever robot cat helps with vivid explanations when things get too complicated. All fans of Little Major Tom will find exciting knowledge about amazing materials of the future presented with many photos, illustrations and ideas for experiments.

The Earth. A Journey around the World and through Time

  • Dr. Volker Kratzenberg-Annies
  • Autumn 2021, 144 pages, 27.7 x 28.5 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 8+
  • All rights available

A wild rollercoaster ride around the world and through time: With this book, children can discover pyramids, ghost ships and Area 51. They travel to the most beautiful places and marvel at natural wonders like huge waterfalls, sand dunes as high as houses and fantastic beaches. Thanks to many graphics and easy-to-understand texts, children also learn how the earth was formed and how it has changed over millions of years. This leads directly to the important topics of our time such as climate change and species extinction. Because that is what is special about this book - it links geology and geography, biology, physics and history with life today in an entertaining, age-appropriate way!

How much Rainforest fits on this Bread? Amazing Graphics about Climate and Environment

  • Matthias Stolz
  • Illustrated by Ole Häntzschel
  • Autumn 2021, 96 pages, 23 x 27.8 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 10+
  • Rights sold to South Korea

Is a cloth bag always more environmentally friendly than plastic? What is the ecological footprint of pets? And what causes less CO2? Streaming via the smartphone or the TV? 50 unique and vivid graphic illustrations, specially developed for this book, present climate and environmental protection from an extraordinary perspective. It quickly becomes clear that we should all care about the environment. The infographics help to understand facts more easily, to better classify contexts and provide new perspectives. A book that not only children will enjoy picking up again and again.

WAS IST WAS Vol. 144 Mars. Departure to the Red Planet

  • Dr. Manfred Baur
  • Autumn 2021, 75 pages, 23 x 27.8 cm
  • Hardcover
  • 8+
  • Rights sold to Hungary, Indonesia, P. R. China, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, Taiwan, Vietnam

Mars is the most Earth-like planet in our solar system. Already in ancient times, it stimulated the imagination of people. In the meantime, many space probes and rovers have explored Mars and uncovered some of its secrets. In the near future, humans are also expected to travel to the Red Planet.
Clear texts, exciting interviews and stunning pictures show how Mars was formed and how a Martian colony could supply itself with water, food and oxygen. A fascinating topic - comprehensibly and vividly explained!
WAS IST WAS the famous fact book series for 8 years and up presents knowledge in brief, informative texts and with first-class photographs. Excellent info-graphics explain complex issues and funny extras deepen the knowledge.

WAS IST WAS vol. 143: Oceans - Exploring and Protecting the Sea

  • Dr. Florian Huber and Uli Kunz
  • Spring 2021, 48 pages, 23 x 27,8 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 8+
  • Rights sold to Hungary, Indonesia, P. R. China, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, Taiwan, Vietnam

Sea creatures and icebergs, storm surges and deep-sea trenches – the oceans are full of fascinating knowledge adventures! With this WAS IST WAS book, children aged 8 years and up explore the diversity of these water worlds. Marine biologists give a compact introduction to oceanography. Then it goes down with research divers to the underwater volcanoes. Exciting facts bring to life the time of the great sailing ships, when captains and sailors still believed in sea monsters. Clear texts, exciting interviews and stunning pictures make clear what is being done for the preservation of the oceans and what great challenges climate change poses to mankind. A fascinating topic, comprehensibly and vividly described!

WAS IST WAS First Reading easy! Vol. 4: Discover Space

  • Sonja Meierjürgen
  • Illustrated by Ruth Koch
  • Spring 2021, 48 pages, 17,5 x 24,5 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 6+
  • All rights available

Looking up at the starry sky and dreaming of adventures in distant galaxies – every child is immediately involved. But how were the stars formed? How far away is the Milky Way? And how do astronauts live on a space station? In this new first-reading book, factual topics relating to space are explained with short sentences, simple vocabulary and lots of photos in such a way that even first readers can explore their favourite topic easily. Only a small amount of text per page makes reading easier and many entertaining reading quizzes help to understand the text.

With the new series WAS IST WAS First Reading easy! learning to read is fun!

#DataDetectives Vol. 1: Robot in Danger

  • Jaromir Konecny
  • Illustrated by Marek Bláha
  • Autumn 2020, 120 pages, 15,8 x 21,5 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 8+
  • All rights available

Vicki, Laurin, Lina and Theo are the #DataDetectives. The cheerful clique around the clever robot Babblebot experiences the possibilities and dangers of the digital world and fights smartly against cybercrime. Excitement and fun are guaranteed!

The first case for the #DataDetectives: When Lina comes new to the class with her robot, there is great excitement. A robot as a classmate? Sure, because Babblebot has artificial intelligence inside. He can talk and he loves doing it. But soon he is in great danger! And then there is Blackhack, the mysterious hacker who causes a lot of trouble with his attacks on the school computers...

WAS IST WAS Natural Sciences easy! Einstein’s Universe. Theory of Relativity Ingeniously Simple

  • Dr. Manfred Baur
  • Spring 2020, 64 pages, 20 x 27.5 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 11+
  • All rights available

No book with seven seals: In an entertaining and descriptive way, readers learn what Einstein’s theory of relativity is all about. How did Einstein come to develop his theory? How did he and later researchers work on it? And where can we use Einstein’s insights in our everyday lives today? Almost without formulas, but with impressive graphics, a clear layout and exciting stories, everything about gravity is explained here With an introduction to classical physics!

A Journey Through the Universe. Discover Space!

  • Dr. Volker Kratzenberg-Annies
  • Spring 2020, 128 pages, 27.7 x 28.5 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 8+
  • All rights available
  • Website

Just reading was yesterday - this book takes the children on an unforgettable journey into space! After the rocket launch, the space explorers stop on the ISS, experiment with weightlessness, visit the moon and marvel at planets and stars. The travellers will also take a trip back in time: back to the Big Bang, the beginning of the universe. Exciting factual texts and elaborately designed book pages show the uniqueness and fascinating beauty of our universe. Small experiments and pictorial comparisons help to understand even complicated facts. The countdown has started - the spaceship is already waiting!

Little Major Tom Space School Vol. 2: Artificial Intelligence

  • Dr. Bernd Flessner
  • Illustrated by Stefan Lohr
  • Autumn 2020, 72 pages, 20,3 x 25,5 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 8+
  • All rights available

School might be boring sometimes... but not on Space Camp 1! Here Little Major Tom and his friends learn about space research, robotics and the wonders of nature.

What does “artificial intelligence” (AI) mean? Where is it found in our everyday life? And will humanoid robots ever be able to completely replace humans? After a look back into the past, when people dreamed of independent machines, the book shows the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence in Smart Technologies or Medical Sciences. Young readers also get an impression of the future and the dangers of these new technologies. Great photos, funny illustrations and exciting experiments offer additional knowledge and fun.

Little Major Tom (Vol. 11): Who’s Gonna Save Ming and Hu?

  • Dr. Bernd Flessner
  • Illustrated by Stefan Lohr
  • Spring 2020, 72 pages, 15.8 x 21.5 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 7+
  • Rights sold to Hungary, Russia

In latest volume 11 Little Major Tom, his friend Stella and robot cat Plutinchen rescue the young Chinese astronauts Ming and Hu and their robot panda Neng Neng from the damaged Space Camp 1. But soon they are all called to action: The holes in the outer shell of the space station are in hard-to-reach places and the children are asked to carry out repair work. Can the newly formed team master this task and successfully complete the spectacular and dangerous outdoor mission? Another galactic space adventure paired with a great deal of knowledge about the universe.

WAS IST WAS First Reading. Our Body

  • Christina Braun
  • Illustrated by Annelie Stenzel
  • Autumn 2020, 64 pages, 17.5 x 24.5 cm
  • Hardcover
  • 7+
  • Rights sold to Hungary and The Netherlands
  • Website

Breathe, eat, digest: It's incredible what the human body can do! Not only Roxy, the robot who accompanies the little readers through the book, is amazed. Together with him, first readers can explore their favourite subject and find out how their own body is working. They learn amazing things about seeing, smelling and tasting, explore how organs and nerve cells function and are introduced to healthy eating in a playful way. The large primer script and short text sections enable primary school children to acquire knowledge bit by bit. Quizzes after each chapter and at the end of the book provide additional entertainment.

WAS IST WAS Meine Welt. Vol. 6: I’m going to the Toilet!

  • Andrea Weller-Essers
  • Illustrated by Iris Hardt
  • Autumn 2022, 16 pages, 17 x 19.6 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 2+
  • Rights sold to Croatia, Hungary

Mia observes her big brother Theo on the toilet: She wants that too, her diaper should be gone! Mom gives her a colourful toilet attachment. It doesn't work at first, but that doesn't matter, and Mia keeps trying. Then Mia pees in the toilet! Finally, Mia sleeps her first night without a diaper!

Biomes of the World

  • Juliana Aschwanden-Vilaça
  • Illustrated by Juliana Aschwanden-Vilaça
  • Spring 2023, 96 pages, 22.8 x 29.5 cm
  • Hardcover
  • Ages 10+
  • All rights available

What would our maps look like if the boundaries were drawn by nature? The simplest way to divide the earth's surface is by biomes. In this way, 14 different terrestrial habitats can be described, defined by their fauna and flora, their geological makeup and their climate. The artist and environmental manager Juliana Aschwanden-Vilaҫa has created a book that presents these biomes with impressive illustrations. In doing so, she opens our eyes to the fragility of the world. The artfully designed non-fiction book is suitable for children aged 10 + and all agers up.

Events

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Contact

Ragnar Tessloff GmbH & Co. KG

Burgschmietstraße 2-4
90419 Nürnberg

Germany

Phone +49 (0)911 399 06-0

info@tessloff.com
www.tessloff.com
www.tessloff.com/nachhaltigkeit

Contact Person

Managing Director Katja Meinecke-Meurer, Harald Greiner

Sales and Marketing Anette Schwartzmanns

Foreign Rights Helga Uhlemann

Public Relations Janine Wölfel 0911-39906-27, woelfel@tessloff.com