"The Secret Life of Animals": Concept of the series, built from 4 subseries (3 started already!)

Children‘s, 8+ THE

SECRET LIFE OF ANIMALS

Realistic animal adventures for children ages 8+ and the whole family Semi-annual publication sequence of sub-series in different habitats A wide variety of fictionalized Animal Documentary Standalones in each subseries Exciting entertainment with amazing insights, a wow effect is guaranteed!

‘Popular Entertaining Storytelling’ meets Animal Documentaries, the successful nonfiction trend translated into narrative – for the first time!

Children's book fictionalized series about “Animal and Environmental studies”

Concept: „THE SECRET LIFE OF ANIMALS” comes up as the first series of realistic children's books for readers ages 8 and up, divided into several subseries sorted by the Earth's habitats. Each series features exciting fiction about animals and their environment, with each of the four volumes in each sub-series focusing on a different animal in a certain environment (Ocean, Forest, Savannah, Jungle and more).

Each book can be read independently.

Fictionalized adventure stories from the animals' point of view, built on a non-fiction background. Readers are immersed in the beautiful yet tough world of animals, they are sensitized to the diversity of nature, and learn a lot of new things along the way in the Fact Parts of each volume. Each habitat is realized by a renowned duo of author and illustrator: wonderfully beautiful narrative voices meet touching black-and-white illustrations.

COMING UP: Fall 22 - Forest 02 (Grizzly Bears) - Ocean 02 (Minik) - Savanna 01 Loewe Verlag GmbH, Bühlstraße 4, 95463 Bindlach, Germany, www.loewe-verlag.de/rights

THE SECRET LIFE OF ANIMALS - FOREST What happens in FOREST 01: When the fifth and last wolf cub in the pack sees the light of day, a storm rages through the river valley and a mighty thunderclap echoes through the forest. The wolf mother Fullgrit gives this wolf cub the name "Five" and swears to her restraint and protection - today and forever.

With each passing day, the initially very small wolf Five grows up, learns to find her place, and makes friends with the raven Raak. Five dreams of becoming the best huntress of the pack. No, the best huntress of all packs! With her strength of will, she wants to be the leader of the wolves and lead her own pack - one day, when she has fully grown up.

But where there are wolves, there also lurk dangerous enemies. At night, panic breaks out in the forest and all the animals run to the river. Five makes out a red glow above the tops of the trees. Unbearable heat creeps through the forest and the dense smoke darkens the sky. A fire!

Even the wolf pack is not spared from this misfortune.

Five's parents do not return, and the river valley is completely destroyed. From now on, it's just Five and her raven friend Raak who fight their way through together and defy the unwritten laws of nature. Two friends and the strong will to seek – and find – their new place.

Overall, the wise she-wolf knows one thing for sure: left to their own devices, even the biggest and smartest wolf is lost, because a wolf is only strong in a pack. Against all odds, Raak and Five manage to fight their way through the hard winter, develop their own hunting techniques.

And after some time, the wolf brothers Nighteye and Findfine join them.

Vanessa Walder / Simona M. Ceccarelli

THE SECRET LIFE OF ANIMALS FOREST 01 (White Wolf) b/w illustrations throughout (40 %) no. 0837, 208 pages, 8+ February 2022 (3 volumes to follow, 1 novelty in each program)

Five's pack grows and is soon considered the largest far and wide. The wolves return to the river valley, where everything is greener than ever. Their old home is now their new home!

Five feels that she is expecting wolf cubs – life starts all over again, the circle closes. The cubs grow into strong wolfs and Five becomes an old leader wolf.

One deep winter, Five walks quite a distance beyond the boundaries of her territory and catches sight of a hunter.

His shot in the form of a thunderclap is the last thing the old she-wolf hears in her life.

Loewe Verlag GmbH, Bühlstraße 4, 95463 Bindlach, Germany, www.loewe-verlag.de/rights

Children‘s, 8+

THE SECRET LIFE OF ANIMALS - FOREST What happens in FOREST 02: After hibernation, Scout, a young female, is abandoned by her mother, although she actually is still much too small and delicate.

She attaches herself to an ancient, gigantic grizzly male, which does not suit him at all, and learns from him: what to eat, which plants have healing powers, how to steal from squirrels and drive away wolves, mark his territory and fight. Eventually, however, the grizzly tolerates the little one and even defends her against danger.

The petite scout gradually becomes quite a hunk who doesn't put up with anything (anymore). The little bear accompanies the giant to the salmon grounds, where they gorge themselves for the winter and from there hike together back to the mountains for hibernation, which Scout spends in the giant's cave.

When the little bear wakes up the next spring, the big grizzly is already gone. She never sees him again, but sometimes she still finds a giant paw print, bigger than any other, and Scout senses that it is him - the last of the grizzly giants.

Vanessa Walder / Simona M. Ceccarelli

THE SECRET LIFE OF ANIMALS FOREST 02 (King of Bears) b/w illustrations throughout (40 %) no. 0838, 208 pages, 8+ August 2022 (3 volumes to follow, 1 novelty in each program)

Loewe Verlag GmbH, Bühlstraße 4, 95463 Bindlach, Germany, www.loewe-verlag.de/rights

Children‘s, 8+

Children‘s, 8+

THE SECRET LIFE OF ANIMALS - OCEAN What happens in OCEAN 01: Driven by his curiosity, the seal embarks on a journey out into the vast ocean.

He wants to know everything and understand everything. But the Baltic Sea holds many things: unknown and threatening.

At first, however, he finds heaven on earth: lots of fish! While trying to catch the delicious fish, the animal gets caught. With all its might, the seal manages to free itself from the fishing net but gets in front of a fisherman's shotgun. Then a humpback whale rushes to the aid of the seal. The humpback whale introduces himself as Lottatwo and gives the seal the name "Minik". Because a name, the big humpback explains, means making a friend. And friends, as Minik the seal learns, do not only brave great and small dangers together, but also help each other in every emergency.

Vanessa Walder / Verena Körting

THE SECRET LIFE OF ANIMALS - OCEAN 01 (Minik’s Departure into the Wide Sea) b/w illustrations throughout (40 %) no. 1136, 192 pages, 8+ February 2022 (3 volumes to follow, 1 novelty in each program)

Whether it's people who want to pet the little seal at all costs, a lot of irritating noise, seductively floating things that turn out to be plastic garbage, or a green darkness spreading in the far too warm water – Minik gets into trouble aplenty. And even such an enormous animal as the humpback whale Lottatwo gets into dicey situations. The whale gets stranded on a sandbank and it is the brave little seal who comes to fetch the humans and save the whale from dying.

Lottatwo then decides to leave the far too shallow waters of the Baltic Sea and head north. Of course, Minik wants to accompany his big friend. But the way is not without difficulties, because people change the water and shape the seabed.

When the friends get caught in a storm like the little seal has never experienced before, it is finally the humans who save Minik. They send him back to freedom and reunite him with his big friend, the humpback whale. Because humans, the curious seal realizes, are not all evil.

This is just the beginning of Minik's journey - something new and great is about to begin in the strange ocean. Minik senses this very clearly.

Loewe Verlag GmbH, Bühlstraße 4, 95463 Bindlach, Germany, www.loewe-verlag.de/rights

Children‘s, 8+

THE SECRET LIFE OF ANIMALS - OCEAN

NEW

What happens in OCEAN 02: It's time to say goodbye - at least for now: Minik and Lottatwo have swum together all the way to Iceland, but the humpback whale has found his mates to move on with.

In a puffin, which does not fly out to sea like other young birds of its kind, seal Minik finds a new friend. Minik gives him the name "Puffling". Puffling rescues the seal from a coral fisherman's net and together they set off north - following the mysterious sound and call of the Arctic.

From a nearly 400-year-old Greenland shark, Minik learns that not all predators are fast hunters, and the bearded seals show him that they can sing just as beautifully as the humpback whale Lottatwo. When Puffling gets lost with a human in a mine that is about to collapse, Minik sets out on a rescue mission across a human city with an Arctic fox. Minik manages to free Puffling and also the human. Further north, they learn that the eternal ice in the Land of Cold is unfortunately not so eternal after all. Joining forces, they manage to retrieve a polar bear cub from an ice floe and reunite it with its mother.

Just like the arctic fox, polar bears feed on people's scraps. When Minik and Puffling finally arrive in the north and experience the magical polar night, they and their newfound narwhal friends are attacked by orcas. To protect the narwhals, Minik distracts the large orcas, but is injured himself. An explorer and his child nurse the seal back to health. But Minik must continue north, for he must find the melodious sound.

Vanessa Walder / Verena Körting

THE SECRET LIFE OF ANIMALS - OCEAN 02 (Minik - Call of the Arctic ) b/w illustrations throughout (40 %) no. 1171, 208 pages, 8+ August 2022 (3 volumes to follow, 1 novelty in each program)

Passing a radioactive submarine and a beluga whale, Minik finally finds this one human child from whom the sound seems to come, but between them are walruses. When the child runs towards Minik, the walruses panic and only the mysterious sound can calm them down. One night, Minik goes to sleep with the humans and they take him on a whole new adventure towards Central America.

Loewe Verlag GmbH, Bühlstraße 4, 95463 Bindlach, Germany, www.loewe-verlag.de/rights

Children‘s, 8+

THE SECRET LIFE OF ANIMALS - SAVANNAH

NEW

Kira gembri / Jennifer Coulmann

THE SECRET LIFE OF ANIMALS - SAVANNAH 01 (Nuru and Lela – The Wonder of the Wild) b/w illustrations throughout (40 %) no. 1158, 208 pages, 8+ August 2022 (3 volumes to follow, 1 novelty in each program)

What happens in Savannah 01: Roars resound in the savannah - lion king Akida defends the huge territory on the riverbank. It is the dry season in the savannah, prey animals are scarce, and the river pack is plagued by hunger - a feeling that lion cub Nuru feels for the first time.

What he already knows and has firmly internalized, however, are the commandments of the wild and the irrefutable fact that lions and hyenas are enemies to the death! And this rivalry reaches its climax at the dry season. No one is meaner, sneakier and uglier than a hyena!

Nuru and his mother lion Salama, of all people, are surprised by hyenas while hunting and lose their hard-won prey to their enemies.

But Aunt Oyana comforts the lions: Soon the Great Migration will take place in the savannah, during which numerous wildebeests and zebras will migrate through the Serengeti. Paradise times for the pride! Nuru sneaks off more often to look for this miracle - just like the hyena girl Lela. More and more often Nuru and Lela meet, challenge each other and fight - but the enmity seems to fade a little more with each encounter.

During a clandestine outing, the two suddenly observe two full-grown alien lions in their territory. When Nuru reports his discovery, sheer panic breaks out in the lion pride: The strangers could challenge King Akida to a fight, which would mean the end of the river pride. Because in the savannah, the law of the strongest applies. That's how it is, that's how it was, and that's how it will always be! And King Akida is indeed no longer the strongest lion, for time and the many battles have scarred him. A change of ruler could end terribly for Nuru and the other cubs in the pride.

The foreign lions Musa and Hasani actually attack the river pride - and instead of protecting his pride, King Akida cowardly takes flight. The lionesses Salama, Oyana and Penda are left on their own and must keep the lion cubs hidden. Out of nowhere, the "nasty" hyenas appear. Together with the lionesses, they defend the territory and put the strange lions to flight.

Loewe Verlag GmbH, Bühlstraße 4, 95463 Bindlach, Germany, www.loewe-verlag.de/rights

Children‘s, 8+ Author: Vanessa Walder has written many books and series that have been translated into 27 languages. Her latest novel, „Conni & Co. 2“, was on the Spiegel bestseller list for nine weeks. The author also writes screenplays for feature films.

Illustrator: Verena Körting has been illustration for various children`s book publishers since 2010.

Author: Antonia Michaelis always lives elsewhere. Most recently, she spent two years in Madagascar, where she hepled establish a social school.

Illustrator: Initally, Simona Ceccarelli worked as a chemist until she traded in her lab coat for a pencil to fulfill her childhood dream. She graduated form the Academy of Arts in San Fransisco with a degree in Illustration and Concept Art. Since 2016, Simona Ceccarelli has been illustration books, games and other products for children.

Author: Kira Gembri was born in Vienna, the second oldest of five children. She remained faithful to this beautiful city even after completing her studies in Comparative Literature.

Illustrator: Jennifer Coulmann studied design in Münster with a focus on illustration and has been working as a freelance illustrator and author since graduating in 2014.

Coming up: Spring 23 OCEAN 03 SAVANNA 02

Coming up: Fall 23 FOREST 03 SAVANNA 02 Start of JUNGLE by MARTIN PEER

Loewe Verlag GmbH, Bühlstraße 4, 95463 Bindlach, Germany, www.loewe-verlag.de/rights