Award Five works nominated for the Swiss Children's and Young Adult Book Prize
Four illustrated volumes and one novel have been nominated for the Swiss Children's and Young People's Book Prize 2026. These include the German-language picture books "Herschel, der Gespensterhund" and "Schlich ein Puma in den Tag". This was announced by the organizers.
05.03.2026, 13:00
SDA
In "Herschel, der Gespensterhund" by author Thomas Meyer ("Wolkenbruchs wunderliche Reise in die Arme einer Schickse") and illustrator Magali Franov, children are introduced to the topic of death in a humorous way. This with the story of the family dog Herschel, which the Mick family has to put to sleep. The grieving girl Luise rediscovers her four-legged friend as a ghost, who in this new form is allowed to do much more than before.
"The illustrations in mixed media with many collage elements and cheeky details radiate a playful joy of design," said the jury, explaining the nomination. The picture book is by no means sad, but conveys comfort without glossing over it.
"Schlich ein Puma in den Tag" by illustrator Verena Pavoni and lyricist Lena Raubaum is also on the shortlist for the 20,000 Swiss franc award. In this poetic volume, the image of an animal grows with each page. While at first only a few lines can be made out, at the end there is an entire animal - such as a cougar. There is a poem for each creature, which is also added to page by page.
A tomcat becomes a father
The French-language picture books "Le petit roi" by Sylvie Neeman and Francesca Bellarini and "Jean Blaise papa poule" by Émilie Boré and the illustrator Vincent are also nominated from French-speaking Switzerland. The latter is part of the comic series about Jean-Blaise the cat, who becomes a father in this new volume.
The only novel on the shortlist for the prize is the Italian-language children's and young adult novel "Oceano" by Ticino author Gionata Bernasconi. In it, siblings Alice and Milo survive an explosion on a ship and drift across the ocean on a lifeboat with little equipment but plenty of imagination. "The author impressively succeeds in depicting the monotony at sea and the children's abandonment in terms of language and style," the jury wrote in the press release.
The Children's and Youth Book Prize will be awarded on May 16 at the Solothurn Literature Days.
