New Swedish Books, Autumn 2018 1
New Swedish Books 62 Little Na and the Animal Cou
p Little Na does whatever takes her fancy. Miriam and Sylvester – Big M and the Silver Surfer – don’t even know what her real name is. But it doesn’t matter. Everything’s an adventure when the three of them are together. Like taking a trip to the countryside and jump barefoot in cow pats. But once there they discover that animal keeping in Sweden is not what it should be. Animals are being imprisoned. Pigs are crammed into small pens. And it’s the same story at the pet shop. All that’s left to do is to release the animals! Milena Bergquist takes one of the most well used clichés of children’s literature – the one about the wild, unruly and imaginative child - and transfers it onto a literal and realistic context. Instead of living alone in fine health as a kind of Pippi Longstocking character, Little Na's situation at home proves to be deeply problematic. And her crazy, wild whims are here given a targeted political application. The adventure is transformed into an education in activism and social engagement. Milena Bergquist (text) b. 1958 Amanda Eriksson (ill) b. 1970 Little Na and the Animal Coup Publisher Berghs förlag www.berghsforlag.se Rights Berghs förlag Lena Andersson lena.andersson@berghsforlag.se Works Egon, Plexus och de gömda hundarna 2017 Millan och slottets hemlighet 2012 Millans äventyr 2006 Selected Literary Prizes Katrineholmskurirens kulturpris 2006 Photo: Stefan Tell Photo: Malcolm Jacobsson