Far from being “just a few strokes” or even a simple entry into a computer: Illustrating a book—especially a children’s book—is a complex undertaking. For 20 years, illustrator Nele Palmtag has been giving various children’s books the right visual style. To mark the 5th anniversary of the nonprofit organization LESEMENTOR, she explained how it all works at the Steinmühle.
“She’s got what it takes,” as they say. After all, her nomination for the 2026 German Youth Literature Prize speaks for itself. “My work involves a lot of engagement with texts,” she reveals. After all, the cover of a children’s book determines whether people will pick it up. In an afternoon workshop, the illustrator taught a group of students the basics of her craft.
The feeling conveyed by the text must come through
Children’s and young adult author Andreas Steinhöfel, who is also a founding member of Lesementor, provides the element that everything must harmonize with. “For me, the key question is: Do I see in the illustration the same emotion that I put into the text?” says the best-selling author.
“The style has to fit the story,” he continues, describing the process from text and drawings to the finished book. Whether that’s the case is a matter of “gut feeling”: The illustration provides a common thread, just on a different level.
Insight into Work Techniques
The harmony between Nele Palmtag’s illustrations and Andreas Steinhöfel’s works has already been documented, reported Björn Gemmer, principal of Steinmühlen School and host of the evening. This harmony is evident, among other places, in Steinhöfel’s children’s novel *Wenn mein Mond deine Sonne wäre* and the children’s book *Durch den Wald*. As part of the Lesementor anniversary celebration, the illustrator and the author took the audience on a journey into the fascinating world of book design. Nele Palmtag provided insight into her concepts and working techniques and explained how she manages to illustrate a book’s text with images while simultaneously creating a work of her own.
“We would have liked to do away with ourselves”
These insightful remarks were a perfect fit for the anniversary celebration, to which Lesementor Chairwoman Inge Maisch had invited guests to the Steinmühle Forum. Nevertheless, the continued existence of the nonprofit organization—which, with 86 mentors, helps children from a total of 16 elementary schools in the district learn to read—fills her with mixed feelings: “We would actually have liked to make ourselves obsolete and wished there were no longer a need for us.” The numbers, however, tell a different story. One in four children at the end of fourth grade cannot read.
Raising our glasses together and toasting the anniversary with everyone present was therefore, even with a few downsides, a joyful occasion: “For many children, we’re the ones who first introduce them to the magic of reading.”
(Angela Heinemann)
A Glimpse into the World of Book Design to Celebrate Lesementor’s Anniversary
Collaborations & Partnerships, News, Politics, Business & Responsibility, Social EngagementFar from being “just a few strokes” or even a simple entry into a computer: Illustrating a book—especially a children’s book—is a complex undertaking. For 20 years, illustrator Nele Palmtag has been giving various children’s books the right visual style. To mark the 5th anniversary of the nonprofit organization LESEMENTOR, she explained how it all works at the Steinmühle.
“She’s got what it takes,” as they say. After all, her nomination for the 2026 German Youth Literature Prize speaks for itself. “My work involves a lot of engagement with texts,” she reveals. After all, the cover of a children’s book determines whether people will pick it up. In an afternoon workshop, the illustrator taught a group of students the basics of her craft.
The feeling conveyed by the text must come through
Children’s and young adult author Andreas Steinhöfel, who is also a founding member of Lesementor, provides the element that everything must harmonize with. “For me, the key question is: Do I see in the illustration the same emotion that I put into the text?” says the best-selling author.
“The style has to fit the story,” he continues, describing the process from text and drawings to the finished book. Whether that’s the case is a matter of “gut feeling”: The illustration provides a common thread, just on a different level.
Insight into Work Techniques
The harmony between Nele Palmtag’s illustrations and Andreas Steinhöfel’s works has already been documented, reported Björn Gemmer, principal of Steinmühlen School and host of the evening. This harmony is evident, among other places, in Steinhöfel’s children’s novel *Wenn mein Mond deine Sonne wäre* and the children’s book *Durch den Wald*. As part of the Lesementor anniversary celebration, the illustrator and the author took the audience on a journey into the fascinating world of book design. Nele Palmtag provided insight into her concepts and working techniques and explained how she manages to illustrate a book’s text with images while simultaneously creating a work of her own.
“We would have liked to do away with ourselves”
These insightful remarks were a perfect fit for the anniversary celebration, to which Lesementor Chairwoman Inge Maisch had invited guests to the Steinmühle Forum. Nevertheless, the continued existence of the nonprofit organization—which, with 86 mentors, helps children from a total of 16 elementary schools in the district learn to read—fills her with mixed feelings: “We would actually have liked to make ourselves obsolete and wished there were no longer a need for us.” The numbers, however, tell a different story. One in four children at the end of fourth grade cannot read.
Raising our glasses together and toasting the anniversary with everyone present was therefore, even with a few downsides, a joyful occasion: “For many children, we’re the ones who first introduce them to the magic of reading.”
(Angela Heinemann)