Finland
Special
Mention
184
Helakisa, Kaarina (text)
Hieta, Heli (illus)
Mies joka halusi nähdä koko maailman (The
man who wanted to see the whole world)
Helsinki : Otava, 2001. - [32] p.
ISBN 951-1-17607-2
Life - Dream - World trip
With this interpretation of a story from Kaarina Helakisa's fairtyale
collection »Lasilinna« (»The castle of glass«, 1986), young illustrator Heli
Hieta gives a new view of travelling. A very curious man dreams of seeing the
whole world. He finds out all schedules and makes plans, but after a while he
worries that he might never have enough time to visit all the places he wants to
go to. At first, the globe he sees in his dreams seems huge, but little by
little it gets smaller. And so do his dreams. In the end, he realises that he
does not need to travel to all the places to notice that there is a difference
between his dreams and reality. Hieta's surrealistic and harmonious colour
illustrations leave room for the imagination. They also entice readers to think
about life and time. (7+)
185
Juvonen, Riikka
(text/illus.)
Laulava susi (The singing
wolf)
Helsinki : Lasten Keskus, 2001. - [32] p.
ISBN 951-627-355-6
Outsider - Tolerance
Author and illustrator Riikka Juvonen has a long career in children's
literature. Her new picture book tells the story of the wolf cub Kultasilmä
(Golden Eye), who tries hard to learn to howl like the other wolves. Yet, to
everybody's astonishment and dismay, he sings like a bird. This extraordinary
quality makes him an outsider. He is driven away to the cold forest where he
learns to perform magical tricks. Very soon, he is accepted back to the pack and
becomes the hero of the forest. Juvonen deals with problematic topics, such as
difference and tolerance, and shows how everybody's life may be enriched and
full of happiness. The accompanying illustrations are sensitive and show a lot
of sympathy for the lively characters who have strong personalities. (4+)
186
Kokko, Yrjö (text)
Segercrantz, Kristina (illus.)
Pessi ja Illusia : satu (Pessi and
Illusia <proper names>)
Porvoo : Söderström, 2001. - 240 p.
ISBN 951-0-26013-4
The Good - The Evil - Friendship - Love - Tolerance
This fantasy novel, which describes the friendship and love between a troll
and an elf, was written while the author was on the frontline in 1944. It can be
read as an allegory of war. War problems are mirrored in the relationship
between pessimistic troll Pessi and optimistic elf Illusia, who comes from the
land of the rainbow. The central topic is the relationship between nature and
humans, as well as that between children and the war. This newly-illustrated
edition raises the problem of the dialectic of Good and Evil, of weak and
strong, by resorting to the law of nature, where the stronger beings always
dominate the weak ones. This problem is still of importance today and will
continue to be so. Illustrator Kristina Segercrantz lends a personal touch and
spirit to the story and its characters.
(10+) <>
187
Mikkanen,
Raili
Aavikoiden seikkailija
(The adventurer of the desert)
Helsinki : Tammi, 2001. - 100 p.
ISBN 951-31-2244-1
Wallin, Georg August - Arabia/1843 – Expedition
In this youth novel, children read about the voyage of Finnish explorer
Georg August Wallin (1811-1853), who was world-famous for his expeditions to the
Arab countries. Wallin, an anthropologist and scientist, collected the knowledge
of the Arabic life, language, and culture. This novel employs a mixture of facts
and fiction to recall the first dangerous voyage Wallin embarked on in 1843.
Mikkanen's exotic and exciting story describes the valuable hand-made old book
that Wallin searches for and wants to bring home with him. To carry out his
plan, he joins a caravan and rides through the desert. During the hard and
dangerous voyage the explorer suffers under the heat and survives several
robberies. (8+)
188
Poutanen, Kira (text)
Ihana meri (The wonderful sea)
Helsinki : Otava, 2001. - 185 p.
ISBN 951-1-17626-9
Anorexia
This first book by Kira Poutanen, a young Finnish actress and translator
living in Paris, deals with the difficult topic of anorexia. Julia, an anorectic
teenager, simply wants to be perfect. She competes with her classmates for the
greatest success at school and hides her femininity inside a painfully skinny
body. Exhausting exercises and gymnastics are part of her everyday routine. By
meticulously observing her own body and closely controlling the amount of food
she eats, Julia is inevitably drawn into the dangerous spheres of her illness.
Poutanen describes Julia's inner world and thoughts in the form of a diary
written in a deeply metaphorical language. (13+) (Finland Junior Prize ; 2001)
189
Timonen, Eija (text)
Kurkinen, Maileena (illus.)
Riimurasia : tarinoita noidista, peikoista ja muista oudista olioista (The box
of stories : tales about witches, trolls, and other strange creatures)
Helsinki : Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, 2001. - 111 p.
(Totta ja tarua)
ISBN 951-746-261-1
Folktales/Finland
Eija Timonen has collected and rewritten a number of Finnish folktales, in
particular tales concerning popular beliefs. This box of tales contains exciting stories about strange creatures, such
as trolls, treasure-seekers, ghosts, witches, and giants. These characters are
typical stereotypes appearing in many Finnish tales of belief. A particularly
common motif among these tales is that of the »switched baby« when a child is
stolen by a troll, who in return leaves his own child with the human family. The
colourful illlustrations by Maileena Kurkinen are filled with warmth and
grotesque humour. (7+)