In Luxembourg: They have 24 hours to create a children’s book in three languages

“I wanted to tell a story suitable for children that focuses on their different emotions,” says Tania. She and her teammates, Lola and Amar, took on the challenge of writing a book for children aged 0 to 4, in just 24 hours spread over three days. This is as part of the Bookathon, an event organized for the second time by the National Youth Service. Between Monday and Wednesday, around thirty young people must create a 24-page book, in three languages ​​(Luxembourgish, French and German).

The first step for this production was to write the story. “In the past I have suffered from panic attacks and so the subject of mental health particularly concerns me.” Accustomed to writing in English and more for an adult audience, the young Luxembourger wanted to “take up a new challenge” by writing a children’s book in three different languages. Lola, who takes on the role of illustrator, began by creating a storyboard of their future book.

A student in the artistic section at the Lycée des Arts et Métiers, the high school student has been drawing since childhood. “When putting together the teams, when Tania read her story aloud, I was immediately able to imagine how I could illustrate it.” It was she who had the idea of ​​giving the protagonist glasses that change shape each time a new emotion is evoked.

Yesterday morning, after the first nine hours of work “Matteo a seng Emotiounsrees” (“Matteo’s emotional journey”, in French) was almost finished in all three languages, as were the first illustrations. Amar, the team’s graphic designer, had started designing the cover of the book, for which he drew inspiration from his childhood.

“When I was little, I always drew my figures with just a face and legs. I also try to anticipate the reactions that my montage could trigger in children. The high school student who came from Germany to participate in the Bookathon particularly enjoys working in a team. “I’m self-taught, so I always work alone,” he confides.

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