Bryn Savage

Liane Schneider’s Conni series is one of the most famous children’s book series in German, and follow the everyday life and adventures of a young German girl named Conni. Since the first book was published in the early 1990s, the Conni world has expanded to over 100 stories across four different series, audiobooks, cartoons, movies, activity books and games. There are different series for all ages: Meine Freundin Conni (preschoolers), Conni & Co (elementary schoolers), Conni15 (tweens and teens), Jakob (about Conni’s younger brother, for toddlers). Many Conni stories have been published as Pixi-Bücher or in the Lesemaus format. Some US libraries have Conni books, and they are very available on Amazon and the secondhand market. There are also audiobooks and an animated series based on the books.

In my opinion, a Pixi set of 8 mini Conni books is the best value option for anyone just starting out with Conni. Toddlers and preschoolers love the tiny Pixi books and will want to hold them with you. Several Pixi collections have been published in recent years, so you should be able to find a set that will appeal to your child. Do note that different illustrators have provided art for the series over the years. The first illustrations were provided by Eva Wenzel-Bürger and have a retro charm, however my son and I prefer the newest illustrations by Janina Görrissen, which are both sweet and modern. Of the following series, I can especially recommend set 275, which we read backwards and forward for a few years.

Pixi set 220, illustrated by Eva Wenzel-Bürger: Conni beim Friseur, Conni macht einen Ausflug, Conni geht verloren, Conni entdeckt die Bücher, Conni geht zum Zahnarzt, Conni in den Bergen 

Pixi set 260, illustrated by Eva Wenzel-Bürger: Conni übernachtet bei Julia, Conni geht nicht mit Fremden mit, Conni streitet sich mit Julia, Conni geht einkaufen, Conni und der Läusealarm, Conni bekommt Taschengeld, Conni verkleidet sich, Conni und der Wackelzahn

Pixi set 275, illustrated by Janina Görrissen: Conni kommt in den Kindergarten, Conni geht zum Kinderarzt, Conni ist wütend, Conni besucht Oma und Opa, Conni geht zur Zahnärztin, Conni macht das Seepferdchen, Conni backt Pfannkuchen, Conni geht aufs Töpfchen