The thesis begins with the definition of German literature and German children’s and youth literature. It presents the life and work of Waldemar Bonsels (1880–1952), a German youth writer and author of the book Die Biene Maja und ihre Abenteuer (1912) or The Adventures of Maya the Bee (Prigode čebelice Maje, translated into Slovene in 1923). The cartoon Maya the Bee (Čebelica Maja) and the Slovene translation of the book were the basis of the research on the popularity of both the book and the cartoon among first-grade pupils. The aim was to determine whether children know the character of Maya the Bee, where they became acquainted with her stories for the first time and whether they prefer the cartoons to the book, which was translated into Slovene in 1923 by Vladimir Levstik (1886–1957).
The purpose of the research was to determine whether the book The Adventures of Maya the Bee (1923) would fall into oblivion if there was no cartoon series. We also tried to ascertain how long after the book publication the cartoons were introduced and in which country. In addition, the reasons for the creation of Die Beine Maja und ihre Abenteuer (1912) and the background of the process were examined in literature. The thesis was written on the basis of relevant literature and basic research.
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