New Swedish Books, Spring 2018 1
53 Spring 2018 Alma and Boris Through the Alphabe
t The format of an ABC book can be tweaked endlessly. In Lena Arro And Sara Gimbergsson’s version Alma and Boris Through the Alphabet it’s about finding sand to fill up the sand pit back at the playground by their house. This prompts a fast-paced bicycle ride through the alphabet. It all begins with A for Alma. Her long braids and the ears of the dog Boris seem to have a life of their own on the pages of the book. The text is seductively playful, using the constraint of the alphabet very poetically. The alluring images where sandy colours meet pastel tones are nicely rhythmical. What’s special about the book is the extent to which the material qualities of the letters are so cleverly used, for example the moment Alma cycles up the letter H. Lena Arro (text) b. 1956 Sara Gimbergsson (ill) b. 1958 Alma and Boris Through the Alphabet Publisher Opal www.opal.se Rights Opal anja@opal.se Lena Arro Selected Works Godnatt alla djur (together with Catarina Kruusval, ill) Picture Book, 2001 Lycke och Lage – ibland är det bra att vara liten (together with Sara Gimbergsson, ill) Picture Book 2009 Tore Silver Visselgren (together with Sara Gimbergsson, ill) Picture Book 2016 Literary Prizes Bokjuryns pris 2009 Sara Gimbergsson Selected Works Det luktar bus! (together with Pernilla Gesén, text) Picture Book 2002 Kaninen som inte ville sova (together with Lilian Edwall, text) Picture Book 2006 Carl von Linné – pojken som inte slutade samla Non-fiction 2007 Literary Prizes Göteborgs stads kulturstipendium 2011 Photos: Opal