“Are You Scared?” Asked the Mouse

“Are You Scared?” Asked the Mouse

Mina is an innocent little mouse who is not afraid of anyone or anything, because she has no idea what fear is – until she meets the snake! A very wise and amusing picture book on one of the most important feelings, told by two successful authors: Rafik Schami and Kathrin Schärer, a great cast for a small performance.

Mina, the little mouse, doesn’t know what fear is. So she goes out to discover it. “Are you scared?” she asks the lion. But the lion only causes fear, raging and roaring and making a scene – without success. “You must be crazy not to be afraid of me,” it says. The hippo is only hungry, the elephant also regrets not being able to be scared (but it wishes it could have some goose pimples), the dog is able to smell fear, the cricket thinks fear is funny and the turtle knows so many different types of fear and phobia that the little mouse falls asleep just listening to them. Suddenly she is wide awake when she faces the snake – and from this moment on, she knows what it means to be afraid...


»When I stand on stage, I am able to transform 700 sceptical people into children. All it takes is the beauty of words.«
Rafik Schami

»Kathrin Schärer is much more than an illustrator of children’s books. Her figures show character, personality, emotions and affection so that even as pictures they convey vivid experience and invite readers to communicate and start conversations. This is precious encouragement to read, educating even the youngest to experience the world in a loving way.«
Laudatio at the award ceremony of the Heidelberg Leander.


• Original edition
• Two bestseller authors
• Important topic: Fear