When the lecture hall trembles—because of a children's book
Author Benjamin Tienti (center) is delighted to receive the Siegen Children’s Book Award. Alongside the enthusiastic children, congratulations were offered by (from left): Prof. Dr. Daniel Stein and Dr. Barbara Müller-Naendrup from the University of Siegen, Dr. Gisela Labenz from the Siegen Community Foundation, and Susanne El Hachimi-Schreiber from the Siegener Zeitung.
The rows of chairs in the Friedrich-Schadeberg Lecture Hall at the University of Siegen are shaking with this applause. And there’s plenty of it. People are clapping, drumming, and stomping their feet. And all this is about—a book! A book that has clearly captured the hearts of several hundred children, because they cheer loudly when it’s announced that Benjamin Tienti is receiving the Siegen Children’s Book Award for *Wer schnappt Ronaldo?*. The majority had voted for him. His book is “exciting and cool”—even though, or perhaps precisely because, it also contains “lots of bad words.”
“Benjamin, Benjamin,” some shout. An awards ceremony with a touch of a pop concert. The author is visibly delighted. After all, there aren’t all that many awards for children’s books. He accepts the award with great pride and has won over his young audience in the blink of an eye. Because he speaks their language. Because he’s close to the world children live in. And because he knows that sitting still for a long time eventually becomes difficult. Tienti isn’t just the author of many children’s books—he’s also a school social worker in Berlin. So before he reads from his book, he asks the children to stand up, shake themselves out, and jump around.
Everyone joins in: the teachers from the nine participating elementary schools as well as the members of the jury, who founded the Siegen Children’s Book Prize and are now presenting it for the second time. Dr. Jana Mikota, a researcher and expert in children’s and young adult literature at the University of Siegen, is visibly delighted by the children’s enthusiasm: “Our biggest thanks go to you, because you’ve read diligently, discussed passionately, and voted.” Students, too, benefit from this response; as future teachers, they learn which children’s literature “resonates” and how children evaluate and perceive stories and language.
For the Siegen Children’s Book Award, a volunteer jury selects three children’s books from among new releases. Fourth-grade classes then read the books, choose their favorite, and submit their evaluations to the jury, which also includes children.
Dr. Barbara Müller-Naendrup, Prorector for Teacher Training, Further Education and Sustainability, emphasized that the project has since gained impressive momentum. The number of participating students has nearly doubled. She thanked the Siegen Community Foundation for making it possible to provide the books to all children.
For Dr. Gisela Labenz, a jury member from the Siegen Community Foundation, the award is a “labor of love.” Books, she says, bring happiness. She recalls the heroine of her childhood: Pippi Longstocking. And even though Nivin’s world in *Who’s Going to Catch Ronaldo?* has little to do with Villa Villekulla—instead depicting life in an apartment building in the heart of Berlin—the two heroines are still similar: brave, strong, smart, and full of life.
Author Benjamin Tienti gives the children a wink. “Standing in front of such a large group who’ve all read my book makes me really happy.” He explains that the characters in his book speak the way they do because, as an adult, he doesn’t want to present children with a world that doesn’t actually exist. “You’re asking why there are bad words in my story. Because you hear those words in every schoolyard—because that’s just how kids talk.”
As he reads a few more chapters from his book, he lets his gaze wander through the rows every now and then. Are they getting restless? Is he pushing their attention span too far? Are the kids in the very back still following along? They are. Many are reading along, and you can tell from the books that they’ve been well-thumbed. “You’re listening very well. So I can read one more chapter, right?” he says with a slight Berlin accent.
At the end, the children are allowed to come up to the front and get an autograph from Benjamin Tienti. Jana Mikota has brought special bookmarks for the children to have signed. But many pull out their “Ronaldo book” and want Benjamin Tienti to write in it. A special memento of a special day, and it takes quite a while before the last copy is closed.
