Children’s stories are not only a source of entertainment and inspiration, but also a great way to teach important values in early childhood while the imagination travels.
Today I would like to tell you about a special journey that my daughter and I embarked on in 2023. A journey into the world of fantasy and children’s literature, where we got to know and love Oskar the ghost and his weird friends from a different world.
Oskar the ghost: a fantastic children’s book series
Even when my two children were small, I had to think up stories on cue. My daughter would give me assignments like, “Daddy, tell me a story about a penguin and a crocodile and their journey to the North Pole”. That was huge fun for both of us (okay, it was also really challenging at times!) and somehow it continued to keep me busy as my kids got older and the topic became less important to them.
Many years later, my daughter and I have developed ideas for funny characters rather spontaneously over time from realities of everyday life, some of which have stood the test of time: Oskar, the little, somewhat shy ghost who is afraid of haunting the house is one of them. Or the cheeky and daredevil witch Geierwally, who always wants to experience new adventures and challenges life with all her energy.
Through regular interaction with our characters, we eventually realized that there is a little Oskar and hopefully a little Geierwally in all children (and adults!). We wanted to make more of that! We wanted to encourage children when they are lonely or a bit scared of life. We wanted to stand by them with inspiring stories and accompany them into life.
Writing children’s stories to create a whole world!
That’s why we started to develop the characters “properly”. Mia, our illustrator, gave them the right look and feel after extensive briefings and many conversations. And my daughter and I started writing more or less structured stories – and that wasn’t easy at all, even though we already had so many ideas.
But eventually it worked and the first story was finished! And that set the tone for many more stories: All the stories revolve around Oskar and his adventures, where he solves problems with his friends, learns important lessons about friendship, cooperation and life … and creates quite a mess on the way!
Brew up individual children’s stories
Somewhere along the way, we took story writing further – or rather, turned it back! How was that? Inventing children’s stories on cue? How cool would it be if all the kids in the world had someone to whom they could say, “Tell me a story about a penguin and the crocodile and the trip to the North Pole” – and then they get told their own story!? And that’s where the topic of artificial intelligence (AI for short), came in. We started experimenting with new media possibilities.
The specific question was: Is it possible for the little witch Geierwally to cook up individual stories about Oskar, Geierwally and … you in her witch’s cauldron, where it bubbles, boils (and sometimes explodes)? On demand? What do you have to be able to do? We are about to find out!
Let the imagination run wild
This is our goal: children should be able to concoct their own Oskar stories with Geierwally’s help. To open a fantasy world, where their own ideas may one day merge with the characters from Oskar’s world.
With the Oskar stories, we want to create a safe and child-friendly space for experimentation in which children can live out their imagination freely and in an age-appropriate way.
A fascinating Oskar world – in all aspects
But before that will blossom up, we focus on the stories and illustrations that create the fascinating world of Oskar, Geierwally and … of course Igor. To inspire children, entertain them and give them courage and a zest for life!
After all, how colorless would our world be without stories?
