\New Swedish Books, spring 2019 1
19 Spring 2019 The Castle The Castle sounds like
a rather grand title but it actually refers to something very small – a toy castle that is to be given away at a party. But on the other hand the emotions associated with the object are big: why does Frej get the red one? That was the one that the central character wanted, not the green one that they left at home when the mum and the child leave the house. And Frej is disappointed – a red castle! He wanted the green one. A conventional ending would have seen the two children trading castles, but instead AdBåge draws a pleased grin on the face of the child giving the present and allows the child to think: “Imagine that, I’ve got the green one. And Frej wants something I’ve already got. Now I feel a little better. I’ll have some more cake.” This ending demonstrates concrete and realistic feelings, ones that very rarely get shown in a literary climate that promotes harmonious endings to children’s books. Jealousy is not an unusual subject in Swedish children’s literature, but it is unusual that it's solved by making another child jealous. And the illustrations are just as unpredictable. The castles are tiny, hardly noticeable, whilst the mum and the narrator are depicted as they get dressed and do their hair. Their eyes are drawn close set, a hairdryer blowing their mops straight up, all demonstrations of Adbåge’s comedic talent. And between the two of them there is a tenderness manifested in practical details, and which creates a very warm tone. Emma Adbåge (b. 1982) The Castle Picture book, 3–6 years, 22 p. Publisher Lilla Piratförlaget www.lillapiratforlaget.se Rights Lilla piratförlaget Linda Widman linda@lillapiratforlaget.se Works Mimsan och mormorn, picture book, 2001 Nu är det sent, picture book, 2015 Gropen, picture book, 2018 Literary Prizes Elsa Beskow-plaketten 2013 Lennart Hellsing-priset 2017 Augustpriset 2018 Photo: Richard Gustafsson