Giftbuch – Wenn schöne Blumen böse werden

The book of poison “When beautiful flowers become evil” aims to warn children about poisonous plants. It comes in a slipcase designed as a skull that lets the black and yellow signal colours on the book cover show through, making the message clear: “Dangerous.” Complex illustrations in linoleum style, combined with drastic motifs on the right book pages, demonstrate what happens if one eats primrose, belladonna or hogweed. What the different symptoms of plant poisoning, such as vomiting, diarrhoea, hot flushes inside the body and life-threatening shortness of breath, feel like is vividly demonstrated through imaginative yet highly telling illustrations. Complemented by evil little poems on the left book pages, the content thus achieves a haunting, almost frightening effect that also captivates adult readers. Each double-page features a different background colour and thus arouses curiosity as to what the next poisonous plant is. Not available for sale, the book was issued as a present to subscribers of a gardening magazine. Statement by the jury »This work successfully presents the topic of poisonous plants in an inventive, fascinating manner. The bold and expressive illustrations make the poisonous effects that those plants have more than explicit and enhance the reader’s attention through their reduced yet powerful use of colours.«