Tag Archives: German

334C: War of the Seasons, as the Seasons Pass

Hello, I hope you can help me find this book for my dad! The book is a picture book (which my parents gave me) for children and is about the passing of the seasons, especially winter and summer. I do not remember much text, there may not have been any. The drawings are page size (the book was hardcover and large) and beautifully drawn and very detailed, some with a view of what happens on the surface as well as underground. The drawings show the retreating winter in spring, and the advancing winter in the autumn. Winter and summer are represented by large armies of creatures (dwarfs?) and animals battling each other. I vividly remember a (cute) rodent pulling a sort of oversized triangular spiral drill (with a handle) in a tunnel. A large tree behind which armies gather. The summer army bombards the winter one with some objects (flowers?). The images are very natural, no machines. It is not a violent battle, more symbolic, there were flowers, nuts, trees. In the spring, winter is retreating, and in the autumn summer is on the back-foot. The scenes were spring-like and autumn-like respectively, with the parts of the scenery representing summer and on which the summer army was gathered being more lush than the parts representing winter, which were more harsh. I cannot recall a plot or story line other than this recurrent passing of the seasons. I do not remember a protagonist, there may not have been one. I do not think there were many pages, perhaps a dozen or so. I read the book in the mid to late eighties in Germany. There may have been two editions, one in German and the other one in English. The book may have come to Germany from the UK/Ireland. I have reasons to believe that the original was in English. It somehow was a very special book, to me anyhow. Thank you for your help!