If you have an elementary-aged kid who reads German well, but is maybe not 100% fluent, I’d give the 2025 Ampelchen series by Anna Böhm a try. So far there are three books — Aus den Ampeln, fertig, los! (1), Es kracht! (2), and Kann das weg? (3) that follow the adventures of two fourth-graders, Clärchen and Emre and a posse of 12 German stoplight figures that come to life and wreaking adorable havoc.
Die Ampelchen is a great series for older elementary kids who aren’t 100% fluent, because it has humor and a wild and crazy story to keep the reader engaged, but and at the same time it’s written in a simple style for “geübte Erstleser” or about a 2nd grade level. It helps that the main characters are relatable and fun 4th graders and there’s refreshing representation of different family constellations and backgrounds. Clärchen is a latchkey kid who lives with her mother and Emre is a Turkish boy with a big family and super involved grandfather. The illustrations are cute and done in a red/green color scheme that fits the traffic light theme.
Links:
Aus den Ampeln, fertig, los! (1) The first book in the series follows the discovery of the Ampelchen and how they came to be.
Es kracht! (2) In the second book, Clärchen and Emre investigate a break-in at the neighborhood bookstore with the help of the Ampelchen.
Kann das weg? (3) Caution, link is to Amazon.de, as the book is not yet for sale on Amazon.com. This time, the Ampelchen cause chaos trying to recycle.
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