Jutta Bauer

As a child

Jutta was born in 1955, in Hamburg. She went to school for ten years and describes it as “a necessary evil”.

As an adult

Jutta is one of the best-known picture-book artists and cartoonists in Europe. She currently lives in Germany.

As an artist

When asked where the idea for Opas Engel (the original German title of Grandpa’s Angel) Jutta commented, “At the time I had my drawing table at the film studio of a friend and was actually looking for a funny story for a film. My friend’s studio had a big window looking onto the street and we would watch how the school children plodded along – sometimes deep in thought. Watching this, I couldn’t help thinking that all these children usually do arrive safely. Then I had the idea for the guardian angel.” Grandpa’s Angel however, was not conceived as a story for children from the beginning. Jutta added, “I don’t like that; I believe that stories are like vessels. They offer a form, but every reader – no matter whether young or old – fills it anew with their experiences and their individual stories.”