The “Zoo Stories” art project came to an end in fall 2025 with a special highlight. In front of parents, siblings and guests, the 15 participating children presented their first book – filled with lovingly drawn animals, sculpted fantasy creatures and the stories they had written themselves over many weeks. They proudly held the freshly printed book in their hands and presented their animal heroes and heroines.
The premiere was the crowning glory of a creative journey that began with initial sketches, experiments in the art room and joint editorial meetings. Step by step, the children designed their own animal characters, invented adventures, decided on layouts and grew into a real team in the process. The excursion to the Halle Mountain Zoo will certainly be remembered and provided valuable inspiration for many of the stories.
The great commitment of the parents, who attended the celebration in large numbers and brought a lovingly prepared buffet, will also remain unforgotten.
Artistic support for the project was provided by Grit Wendelberger, who taught a wide range of artistic design techniques, Thomas Leibe, who supported the creative writing and illustrations, and Karla Mücklisch, who worked with the children on sculpture and accompanied their animal figures as they were created.
The project sponsor was the Bürgerstiftung Halle. The “Zoogeschichten” project was funded by “Wir können Kunst”, a program of the Bundesverband Bildender Künstlerinnen und Künstler e.V. as part of the BMBF’s “Kultur mach stark. Alliances for Education” of the BMBF.
