New Swedish Books. Spring 2016 1
SPRING 2016 You Are Having Porridge and a Baby Si
ster v#ren här. smälter mot rutan. r varmt och fullt av folk. Jojo’s going to get a new sibling. Finally. Her own little sister to play with, to read to, to push along, and to share a room with. A little sister so that Jojo can be big. But when the little sister comes, things aren’t really how Jojo had imagined. Solja Krapu-Kallio and Anna Bengtsson skilfully capture in words and images what it is to be a sibling – longing and waiting, loving unconditionally and being both big, and small. Anna Bengtsson’s brightly coloured, warm illustrations match Solja Krapu-Kollia’s playful, rhythmic text, and together they sensitively tell the tale of a little child’s thoughts, routines and games. Solja Krapu-Kallio writes for children and adults and has twice won Sweden’s Poetry Slam Competition. Anna Bengtsson is an illustrator and children’s author, winner of the Elsa Beskow Plaque. SOLJA KRAPU-KALLIO (WORDS) ANNA BENGTSSON (ILL.) YOU ARE HAVING PORRIDGE AND A BABY SISTER ALFABETA RIGHTS: ALFABETA Öronen är blöta. Farmors doft är svag. Det är jag och Kanin och de andra p# bussen först#s. Vi startar och stannar. Det skumpar och hoppar. Jag har lovat mamma att inte #ka l#ngt, l#ngt bort. 2015-12-08 10:22 The Bus Ride A mother and her two children are forced to flee to another country far from home when their lives are turned upside-down by war. When Dad and Grandma can’t flee with them, and have to stay behind, the journey and the pain become even harder for the family. But love, longing and memories give the children hope that they’ll be re-united. Henrik Wallnäs’s rhythmic, sinuous, gentle language, and Matilda Rutas’s warm, expressive and evocative images make for unexpected, but wonderful reading, with opportunities for both children and adults to discuss topical themes. Matilda Ruta is one of Sweden’s most interesting new illustrators. This important story is Henrik Wallnäs’s debut. HENRIK WALLNÄS (WORDS) MATILDA RUTA (ILL.) THE BUS RIDE NATUR & KULTUR RIGHTS: KOJA AGENCY 25