Steidl, 2024 Photographs by Jan von Holleben Design by Matthias Langner 56 pages 26 × 17.5 cm Hardcover ISBN 978-3-96999-399-6
‘When none could find a nearby lolly shop… A sight, so simply wondrous, made them stop. They couldn’t quite believe their eyes – DESSERTS! And of enormous size.’
A child always has room for dessert. But have you ever seen actual rooms for dessert? Jump into this delicious adventure full of giant gummy bears, mountains of jelly and cream, a popcorn ocean and more, from children’s book team Jan von Holleben and Monte Packham. Rooms for Dessert follows five children on the hunt for sweets in a sparkling palace, who end up discovering all kinds of secrets and surprises. In fantastical collages von Holleben inventively combines photos he made in Germany’s baroque Heidecksburg Palace with an array of real confectionery. Packham tells the story in whimsical, humorous verse that captures the children’s adventure and mirrors the opulence of the palace. Closely interacting, image and text create a fairy tale for today. The book’s message? With a little imagination anyone can transform reality into a land of fantasy – the sweetest things in life aren’t just those we see with our eyes.