New Swedish Books, spring 2017 1
New Swedish Books 42 The Great Friend “ Do you wa
nt to become my friend?” Caio calls out to the waves. She wants nothing else in the entire world but to become friends with a blue whale. When she spots one from the beach she’s prepared to do almost anything to reach it. First she wades out into the water, the waves filling her boots. Then she takes a boat and rows out into the middle of the open sea. The angles are almost aweinspiring. The sea so big, the blue whale so enormous, and Caio so small and lonely amongst all these great things. When the waves engulf the boat she realises she can’t swim. Will she die now? Ylva Karlsson and Eva Lindström’s picture book is a gripping, beautiful and pensive story about the desire for friendship. But, it’s also a story of trust and of dreams coming true, a reminder that we seldom manage completely on our own.