Goth Moth - (Band of Bugs) by Kai Lüftner (Hardcover)

About the Book

In his heart Walter (aka Goth Moth) is a drummer--he has rhythm in his blood. There's just one problem: he doesn't have a drum kit, much less a band. But when he stumbles onto a rock concert featuring his favorite star--Jitterbug--everything changes. Could it be that Goth Moth's bold step into the daylight will put him in the limelight?

Book Synopsis

From the world of Jitterbug, a picture book for any child who is afraid to step into the limelight and try something new!

Walter is a shy moth. He prefers to hide out in his quiet attic. But a fiery passion slumbers in him . . . In his heart he is a drummer, a true "Goth Moth." There's just one problem: Walter has no drums, let alone a band. The moth adores the music by Jitterbug (also known as Lady B. Marie)--his idol. At one of her concerts, the unimaginable happens: the Goth Moth now finds himself on stage, in the limelight.

Kai Lüftner's rollicking rhymes tell the story of someone who flies under the radar with daring rhythm. Wiebke Rauers prepares the stage for our shy hero in such a thrilling way that you too will become a Goth Moth fan.

Rock on with Walter the Goth Moth and Lady B. Marie the Jitterbug in these musical refrains about being yourself!

Review Quotes

"the rhyming text, translated from German, provides peppy accompaniment to the vibrant illustrations, interweaving bright and moody hues with playful cartoon elements."-- "Booklist"

"The audience will root for Goth Moth as he jumps, flutters, and lunges to the percussion he plays in his head. So, too, will youngsters relate to Goth Moth's woes as very unneighborly spiders, rodents, and other shadow-crawling critters scowl at the would-be drummer's antics. . . Such wordplay is hard enough to do in a native language; that this is translated from German is ovation-worthy." -- "Children's Literature"

". . . this picture book encourages children to dance to the beat of their own drums."-- "Foreword Reviews on Jitterbug"

"The rhyming scheme of the text has a rhythm that could be a song on its own. This Switzerland import certainly deserves its place on international shelves for any musically inclined kiddos who dream of rocking hard."-- "Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (BCCB)"

"Translated adeptly from the original German, the rhyming couplets roll forth like song lyrics, which is unsurprising given that the author runs a children's music project in his spare time. The artwork, with its dramatic and stunning angles, is done in multimedia collage as boldly colored as the hair of an '80s punk band [...] it remains a sweet and simple message about self-acceptance, individuality, and letting your voice be heard." -- "Booklist on Jitterbug"

About the Author

Kai Lüftner was born in East Berlin. An author of books for children and young adults, he is also a musician, audio book editor, and director. Over the course of his career he has published more than twenty books, while his children's music project, Rotz'n'Roll, has enjoyed great success and played lots of concerts. Lüftner lives with his family on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea.

Wiebke Rauers was born in Düsseldorf, where she studied communication design with a concentration in illustration. After receiving her degree she moved to Berlin and worked as a character designer in an animation studio. Since 2015 she has worked as a freelance illustrator of children's books, film, and television. She lives in Berlin with her daughter, husband, and lots of stuffed animals.

Tim Mohr is an award-winning translator of German writers such as Sibylle Berg, Alina Bronksy, and Wolfgang Herrndorf, and the author of Burning Down the Haus, a history of East German punk rock and the role dissident musicians played in bringing down the Berlin Wall. Prior to starting his writing career, he earned his living as a DJ in Berlin.