The almost textless picture book "Spinne spielt Klavier" invites readers to produce sounds while looking at the pictures, which are presented in a varied and clever way in a brightly coloured comic style. The 160 pages of pictures evoke sounds in an impressive range of variations and provide young readers with a joyful experience that allows them to co-create and add their own. "Just imitate the sounds", Benjamin Gottwald prompts at the beginning and asks: "Can you hear what you see?" The sounds begin to form in the viewer's mouth all by themselves. While this may be easy in the beginning, the picture book gradually develops more and more complex scenes.
Some double-pages place sounds next to each other that are similar but arise in completely different situations. The pattering of horses' hooves sounds almost exactly like a table tennis ball hitting a racket; the kiss of two lovers sounds like the sucking in of cooked spaghetti. Other double pages unfold small narrative contexts and play creatively with the sound potential of situations. The fact that the experience of the world can also be expanded in the process is due to the captivating originality of the concept.
This title was awarded the 2023 German ChildrenŐs Literature Award.