New Swedish Books, autumn 2019 1
New Swedish Books 24 The Long Journey Wander and
Wonder are the names of a fox and a pigeon that set off together on a long journey through a landscape flooded with metaphors. Their relationship is explained by their names: Wander has an inherent need to leave, to escape, never to rest. Wonder asks questions, wants to know and understand. “It’s hard breathing old air”, says Wander and gets Wonder to open the window through which they head off into a world where even nature itself has a voice. “Wander breathed. Wonder breathed. The Ocean sighed.” The sentences are short but carefully constructed, rhythmic with alliterations: “a force found within fused the friends”. Sometimes the animals merge with nature through illustrations that are deceptively simple in detail yet sophisticated in their composition and the way the animals’ movements are depicted across the page. Foxtail Amaranth and ears of wheat decoratively run as a red thread through the story as it moves closer towards what the reader comes to discern as the inevitable end: Wander’s demise. The feeling of finality is captured in crimson skies, bluish grey waters and the empty seedpods that Wander and Wonder jump between. The end is ultimately not a depiction of a dystopia but rather something philosophical, thoughtful. This is a book to read aloud, discuss and return to. It is about our different needs, ways of being, and how our lives move forward. Sofia Hedman (text) b. 1965 Emelie Gårdeler (ill.) b. 1986 The Long Journey Picture book, 3–6 years, 40 p. Publisher Speja förlag www.spejaforlag.se Rights Speja Förlag Cicci Sjödelius cicci@spejaforlag.se Sofia Hedman Selected works Kanske ett liv, YA novel, 2006 Pojken och havet, picture book, 2015 Emelie Gårdeler Selected works Pojken och havet, picture book, 2015 Pojken och himlen, picture book, 2016 Photo: Private Photo: Private