Description

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A modern fairy tale that conveys the joy of tinkering and calls for self-determined use of software.

The famous inventor Zangemann lives in a huge villa high above the city. Adults and children alike love his inventions and are desperate to have them. But then something happens: when Zangemann wants to take another close-up look at his inventions during a walk through the city, a child hits him in the shin with the skateboard. That hurts! Enraged, the inventor makes a momentous decision . . . The clever girl Ada sees through what is going on. Together with her friends, she forges a plan.

This illustrated children's book tells the story of the famous inventor Zangemann and the girl Ada, a curious tinkerer. Ada begins to experiment with hardware and software, and in the process realizes how crucial it is for her and others to control technology.

Ada & Zangemann will inspire children's interest in tinkering and encourage shaping technology.

About the Author

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Matthias Kirschner is President of FSFE. Matthias helps other organizations, companies, and public administrations to understand how they can benefit from Free Software — which gives everybody the rights to use, study, share, and improve software — and how those rights help to support freedom of speech, press, and privacy. He serves on the advisory boards of different Free Software organizations, has been a consultant for public bodies and other committees, and regularly gives interviews, lectures, or participates in panel discussions about software freedom and the technical distribution of power in a democratic society.

Sandra Brandstätter is an illustrator, comic author, and character designer for animated films and series, including "Trudes Tier" on German public television and "Sendung mit der Maus." She is also the illustrator of many children's books and comics including Paula: Liebesbrief des Schreckens (Reprodukt Verlag/2016), Ben & Teo: Zwei sind einer zuviel (Beltz & Gelberg/ Author: Martin Baltscheit/2020), and L wie Liebe (Kindermannverlag Author Martin Baltscheit/2022).

Praise For…

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"A rousing tale of self-reliance, community, and standing up to bullies."
—Cory Doctorow, Sci-Fi Author

"Introduces readers young and old to the power and peril of software. Behind it all is a backdrop of ethics of knowledge sharing upon which the arc of human history rides." 
—Vint Cerf, Computer Scientist and One of the Inventors of the Internet

"Such a fun children’s book about getting hands on with tech and the importance of an open ecosystem for development. . . I love the illustration too"
—Una Kravets, @Una, UI & Tooling Developer Relations Team Lead at Google Chrome

“A wonderful way to introduce young people everywhere to the joys of tinkering!”
—Zoë Kooyman, Executive Director, Free Software Foundation

"I hope this will influence young people, and especially those who feel 'I can not do that' to take that first step into the community of Open Source software, hardware and culture."
—Jon "maddog" Hall, Board Chair, Linux Professional Institute

"If you have a child curious about software development, this book might be just the right thing to pique their interest."
—Jack Wallen, Linux Magazine

"A cute story which resonates with kids and adults alike. The freedom to use *your* hardware and software as you see fit is a core ingredient in any technological society."
—Andrew Lewman, Freedom and Privacy Advocate, Chairman of Each One Teach One

"Ada & Zangemann brings a highly topical, technically relevant subject to children."
—Catharina Maracke, Chair of the Board, Open Source Initiative

"It's a hit -- in the first week my kid has read this book 3 or 4 times already, and says this book explains my work on software freedom finally in a way that's easily understandable."
—Karen Sandler, Executive Director, Software Freedom Conservancy

"Ada & Zangemann is not only a utopian and charming story about Free Software and computers, but it is one about self-empowerment and also about joy in technology. . . . it may well be an eye-opener for adults, too."
—Dr. Constanze Kurz, Spokesperson, Chaos Computer Club (CCC)

"Kids and adults alike will be entertained by this book, charmed by its illustrations, and inspired by Ada’s engineering spirit and impassioned activism."
—Elizabeth Chamberlain, Director of Sustainability, iFixit

"Inspiring and empowering. An exceedingly relevant techno-fable for the makers, creators and inventors who will grow up to shape our future."
—Lee Hollman, Elementary School Technology Teacher

"A book that helps kids understand that the world doesn’t just happen, it is made, and that growing up is about figuring out how to pitch in and make it better."
—Matt Bailey, Civic Hacker and Open Government Advocate

"Encouraging creative, out-of-the-box engineering thinking, problem-solving, and perseverance, as well as endless tinkering, Kirchner and Brandstätter weave a story that will encourage children to question who owns the technology around them, and why. "
—A.R. Miller, Purdue University book reviewer

"What a fun read! I recognize myself in Ada at many moments. All I know about computers is thanks to Free Software, the internet, and the willingness of others to share their knowledge as Ada did."
— Isabela Fernandes, Executive Director, The Tor project