Sweden
201
Åberg, Berit (text)
Jönsson, Maria (ill.)
Svårt och sånt (Difficult stuff and the like)
Stockholm : Rabén & Sjögren, 2000. – 123pp
ISBN 91-29-64753-3
Ethics - Everyday life
Children think, are afraid, have fears. Modern-day children may think more and may be
afraid more often than those of former times, because they have wide access to information
of what happens or could happen to them. That is why books articulating those fears and
exploring ethical issues can be of great value. This book addresses various problems
relevant to a child's perspective in the form of a ten-year-old girl's fictional diary:
unfriendly play-mates, older brothers and sisters, illness in the family, the mother's
abortion, war (on TV). The tone skilfully alternates between seriousness and tom-boyish
lightheartedness, sustaining the reader's interest while preventing the text from becoming
too ponderous. (10+)
Special Mention
202
Bodecker, N. M. (text)
Blegvad, Erik (ilus.)
Hellsing, Lennart (transl.)
Skynda, skynda, Nilla lilla! (Hurry, Little Nilla, hurry!)
Stockholm : Eriksson & Lindgren 2000. – [32pp]
ISBN 91-87805-77-4
Winter - Preparation - Wife - Couple - Roles
This unusually original picture book, a delightful blend of idyll and striking caricature,
could be considered a multi-cultural product: written and illustrated by two Danish
immigrants in the USA it has been ingeniously translated by Lennart Hellsing, the renowned
poet for children's literature – his text reads like an original poem. The still
current topic of women's emancipation is transported back to the 1900s: The ever serving
wife dutifully pursues her housework while her husband, relaxing in a rocking chair,
commands her about. The historical setting serves the authors' ironic purpose: firstly,
manual labour is more apt to demonstrate a housewife's diligence than the handling of
electrical kitchen appliances. Secondly, the traditional backdrop of the 19th century
allows for a more convincing portrayal of a husband's patriarchal claims than modern day
life with its rather subdued forms of male dominance. (8+)
203
Erberth, Stig (text)
Alvner, Christina (illus.)
Barnens djurbok A - Ö (The child's Animal ABC)
Stockhom : BonnierCarlsen, 2000. – 120pp
ISBN 91-638-3681-5
Animals - Alphabet
The expectations raised by the old-fashioned title, reminiscent of non-fiction books of
the 19th century, are countered by a very modern concept. Modern, not in the sense of a
scientifically meticulous and naturalistic representation of the animals, but rather in
the choice of unusual postures. While the characteristic anatomy of the individual animal
is never neglected, it is the mimicries and little jokes the animals perform which will
intrigue children much more than sober, zoological depictions. One can see a lion cub
romping about on its father's head, the behind of a sleeping elephant, a swan gliding in
for a landing, a wallowing horse and many other enjoyable scenes. (6+)
204
Stark, Ulf (text)
Nordström, Jockum (illus.)
Ensam med min bror (Alone with my brother)
Stockholm : BonnierCarlsen, 2000. – 44pp
ISBN 91-638-1684-9
Siblings - Childhood memories
The well-known author has been transposing his childhood memories into literature for
quite some time already. In this text, he relates how he and his older brother spent their
holidays away from their parents with friends. Gifted with a fine intuition for a child's
way of seeing the world, he allies the humour of simple situations with a deep sense of
humanity and high literary craft. For example: The children send off a half-starved
firefly on a bark raft, while innocently calling after it: »Have fun!« The artist,
inspired by contemporary art movements, assembles rough, large pieces of different
material to a collage, breaking the edges with drawn lines. Even though the illustrations
are strong of character, they complement the text without ever imposing themselves. (8+)
205
Widerberg, Siv / Walter-Lax, Lena / Wennerstrand, Carl
Vända livet (Turn life around)
Stockholm : Rabén & Sjögren, 2000. – 171pp
ISBN 91-29-6582-0
Drug abuse - Radical right - Violence
The well-known author Siv Widerberg adopts the role of a mediator for two authentic young
adults' voices who relate how they succeeded in giving up their previous lifestyle and to
take steps in a more positive direction. Lena, who grew up in a proletarian environment
with an alcoholic father, hoped to find recognition and self-affirmation in drugs; Carl
sought support amongst gangs of young adults who attempted to fight life's crises with
racist slogans. These authentic accounts are free of literary stylisation and of greatest
impact if read as sober non-fiction texts. (12+)