Werner Holzwarth

Werner Holzwarth is a German children's writer whose professional background includes advertising, creative direction, and journalism. His best-known picture-book text was illustrated by Wolf Erlbruch and first published in German in 1989. The Story of the Little Mole appears in English under longer titles, including The Story of the Little Mole Who Went in Search of Whodunit and The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business. Abrams issued its Whodunit edition in North America in 2007. The comic mystery follows a mole questioning neighboring animals after an unwelcome surprise lands on his head. Holzwarth supplies the direct, cumulative narrative, while Erlbruch's illustrations give each encounter visual timing and physical humor. Their collaboration became an international success in numerous languages and editions. Plainspoken repetition, a child's investigative logic, and pictures that carry much of the joke account for its durable rhythm.