16. Jul 2024

Gerda Märtens presented her book “The Northern Lights”

Gerda Märtens presented her book “The Northern Lights” in St Gallen, in Stadtbibliothek Katharinen (Children and Youth Library). It is the first book she has illustrated and written herself.

If it is not enough to express your worry about physis using only a paintbrush, then you can add literary language. Being on a holiday in Thailand, Gerda heard a story about a polar bear who was lost in Siberia. That was the inspiration for creating totally her own book “The Northern Lights. The main character in this book is a polar bear Jon, who has to leave his homeland due to the climate change. The following actions and wonderful pictures you can see in the book, that is available on Koolibri, the publishers, web-shop.

Swiss Estonian Association in association with Stadtbibliothek Katharinen organized this book presentation in two languages, so that Estonians, friends of Estonia and local Swiss people could have taken part of the event. There were many young people interested in drawing, who took the chance to participate the illustration workshop carried out by Gerda Märtens. Together with Gerda, everyone had a chance to illustrate a mini-book of “The Northern Lights”. Gerda was so inspiring, that some children found energy still in the evening to take a pencil and continue drawing.

Thank you Gerda Märtens – author and illustrator of the book, Christa Oberholzer – manager of the Stadtbibliothek Katharinen, the ones responsible for apero – Annika, baker of lovely black bread and Meribel – baker of cinnamon rolls.

12.september 2020