Children’s Book:
The History of Mathematics

My children’s book Wie die Mathematik in die Welt kam (How Mathematics Came to Be) features a cross-over between hand drawings and collage to illustrate German author Rainer Kirsch’s whimsical poem from 1986 that tells the story in funny verse of how things developed from the number one to higher mathematics, physics, and the world we live in today.

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Rainer Kirsch Oliver Weiss Wie die Mathematik in die Welt kam kinderbuch kinder buch bücher books children books for children Kinderbuch Kinderbücher Eulenspiegel Verlag handmade collage collage collage art analog collage collage artist cut and paste paper collage dada dadaism surrealism mixed-media mixed-media collage collage gallery surreal collage collage art handcut collage collage artwork mathematics mathematik rainer kirsch book illustrations Titeldesign Buchcover covers designs Titelbildgestaltung Buchtitel Coverentwicklung Coverdesigns Titel Buchverlag Bücher — Children’s Book on Mathematics

Catching only one fish or two makes a difference

Egyptian pharao discovers the logic behind fractions

Where do our numbers originate, and why are they essential to us? Renowned German writer and poet Rainer Kirsch addresses these topics through an extensive poem that takes us through the history of humanity.

From the era of mammoth hunters to the banks of the Nile, the bustling markets of Mesopotamia, the intellectual domains of the Greeks and Romans, and the endeavours of medieval builders, this amusing narrative brims with collage-style artwork, captivating even die-hard mathphobes.

Rainer Kirsch (1934–2015), lyricist, essayist, and one of the most distinctive representatives of the “Saxon School of Poetry”, wrote poems, plays and fairy tales for children and published several children’s books.

I am employing mixed-media collages to put the colorful, rich world of numbers into compelling imagery, taking us to places and events associated with mathematics and its impact.

Woher kommen unsere Zahlen? Wie entstanden sie? Und warum brauchen die Menschen sie überhaupt? Rainer Kirsch stellt Fragen – und beantwortet sie, indem er uns zu Mammutjägern, Bauern am Nil, Händlern im Zweistromland führt, zu den Griechen und Römern auch, und zu mittelalterlichen Baumeistern. Er zeigt, wie Kopfarbeit und praktisches Tun Hand in Hand gehen, und verbindet eine kleine Geschichte der Mathematik mit der großen Menschheitsgeschichte.

Das alles macht er in den schönsten Versen! Eine Verserzählung, so lustig wie anschaulich, so voller poetischem Schwung, dass selbst der größte Mathematikmuffel mitgerissen wird. Ob nun einer gerade erst das Zählen gelernt hat oder ein anderer schon multipliziert und dividiert, jedes Kind wird staunen und merken, wie spannend die Mathematik sein kann.

Meine Collagen setzen die bunte, reiche Welt der Zahlen ins Bild und führen zu Orten und Ereignissen, die mit der Mathematik und ihrer so zwingenden Wirkung wie nützlichen Anwendung verbunden sind.

Rainer Kirsch (1934–2015), Lyriker, Essayist, Nachdichter und einer der markantesten Vertreter der „Sächsischen Dichterschule“. Beim Eulenspiegel Verlag erschien seine Werkausgabe. Kirsch verfasste auch Gedichte, Stücke und Märchen für Kinder und hat mehrere Kinderbücher veröffentlicht.

Wie die Mathematik in die Welt kam (Originaltitel von 1986: „Häuptling Olim oder wie die Mathematik in die Welt kam“) erscheint im Eulenspiegel Kinderbuchverlag, einem Imprint der Eulenspiegel Verlagsgruppe.

D’où proviennent nos nombres et pourquoi sont-ils essentiels pour nous? Rainer Kirsch aborde ces sujets à travers un long poème qui nous fait traverser l’histoire de l’humanité.

De l’ère des chasseurs de mammouths aux rives du Nil, aux marchés animés de la Mésopotamie, aux domaines intellectuels des Grecs et des Romains, et aux efforts des bâtisseurs médiévaux, ce récit amusant déborde d’illustrations de style collage, captivant même les plus réfractaires aux mathématiques.

Rainer Kirsch (1934–2015), parolier et essayiste, a écrit des poèmes, des pièces de théâtre et des contes de fées pour enfants, et a publié plusieurs livres pour enfants.

Pour les illustrations, j’utilise des collages pour représenter de manière imagée le monde coloré et riche des chiffres, nous transportant dans des lieux et des événements associés aux mathématiques et à leur impact.

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