Géraldine Elschner
The House of Happy Spirits
A Children's Book Inspired by Hundertwasser
A lovely picture book to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Hundertwasser's death
A little girl watches what happens on the property opposite from her house. People are starting to build a big house there and she’s very concerned about what will happen with her most beloved tree on this property if they would build a big gray house with straight lines as usual. She is surprised to see that the new house gets very fun shapes, colors and elements and at the end she is happy to learn that all the trees and plants have not been destroyed but are “inhabitants” of the new building quite as the human inhabitants. This book describes and illustrates the main elements of Hundertwasser’s architecture and tells about his architectural manifesto. At the end of the book you’ll find information about Hundertwasser and his most famous building – the Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna, Austria.
Biography
Géraldine Elschner
Géraldine Elschner is the author of numerous books including "The Cat and the Bird" and "Where is the Frog" (both by Prestel). She lives in Heidelberg. ZAÜ is a French illustrator, born 1943 in Rennes.
Lucie Vandevelde
Lucie Vandevelde is a French illustrator of children’s books. Her professional life revolves around exhibitions in galleries, graphics for advertising, and interventions in school environments/bookstores as well as artistic residencies.