Norway
Special Mention
184
Kaldestad, Roald (text)
Torseter, Øyvind (illus.)
Englefjell (Angel mountain)
[Oslo] : Cappelen, 2006. – [32] p.
ISBN 82-02-25758-1
Child – Loneliness – Cat – Death
This picture book describes the loneliness of a Norwegian child who lives on a
fjord in a tiny hamlet with only a few scattered houses. Her only playmate is
a little cat, and when it dies, the child silently grieves in private.
Although parents obviously exist, they never feature in the pictures. Instead,
the girl is shown sitting in empty rooms, which further amplify the impression
of her loneliness. With her illustrations, Øyvind Torseter returns to the
style of the 1950s not only with the choice of chalky colours reminiscent of
lithographic prints, but also with her evocation of wide spaces. What little
there is of modernity, such as various electric appliances, is stripped of its
metal-lic glimmer and thus blends into the overall picture. The focus of the
book thus always remains on the protagonist herself, the little child. (6+) ¤
185
Kaldhol, Marit (text)
Nyka, Justyna (illus.)
Reisa til H. (Journey to H.)
Oslo : Norske Samlaget, 2005. – [28] p.
ISBN 82-521-6618-0
Soft toy – Chick – Hatching
Selma’s aunt in Hamburg has sent the girl a toy rabbit that she loves dearly.
However, the girl is longing for a live pet and therefore takes an egg from
the fridge and places it under the rabbit. Selma waits and waits. When she
asks her parents whether her experiment is going to be successful, they try to
evade the issue. Astonishingly enough (at least for the readers), the
unexpected really happens: A little chick hatches from the egg! Now the family
decides to travel to Hamburg and introduce the new family member to Selma’s
aunt. This touching story about a child’s trust is illustrated with
graphically peculiar outline drawings. They resemble etchings and are probably
coloured in by computer. The result is absolutely enchanting. (5+)
186
Lunde, Stein Erik
En far (A father)
[Oslo] : Gyldendal, 2006. – 177 p.
ISBN 978-82-05-35396-1
Father – Suicide – Son – Memory
First-person narrator Eirik receives a message from his father via mobile phone that he is going to commit suicide. The 20-year-old, so suddenly left behind, needs to come to terms with this terrible fact and the unexpected loss. How Eirik deals with these problems and what he feels like in the first days after his father’s death, is told in a straight-forward yet beautifully expressed narrative. The readers directly witness the tormenting situation of the one who stays alive and slowly realises that another person simply doesn’t exist anymore. Eirik’s friend Kjetil, with whom he shares a flat, helps him cope with the shock. Step by step, isolated memories of the father add up to form a complete picture in the son’s head. (14+)
187
Mekjan, Sindre (text)
Styve, Jens K. (vignettes)
Fille fra eventyrland (Fille from Adventure Land)
[Oslo] : Damm, 2006. – 229 p.
ISBN 978-82-04-11890-5
Amusement park – Competition
Fille and her family live in an amusement park called »Adventure Land«. Her father, whose ship is one of the park’s many attractions, entertains children as a pirate. Yet, the comfortable and relaxed life of Fille’s family and the other employees is threatened when the park manager conceives a spectacular new attraction, an unbelievably tasteless and vulgar thing, to increase the flow of visitors again. Yet, a park employee secretly sets fire to this attraction and destroys it; luckily enough, the director is saved, and so are the park and its inhabitants. The author tells an exciting adventure story full of chaotic events that doesn’t need any fantastic fripperies. (10+)
188
Sæther, Wera
MammaRitaHuset (Mama Rita’s House)
[Oslo] : Cappelen, 2006. – 291 S.
ISBN 82-02-26053-1
ndia – Child – Everyday life – Poverty – Help – Cultural relations
Uma’s mother is blind and earns her living by singing songs to people travelling in trains. Purely by chance, the girl and her mother meet Sebastian and his daughter Sara. Sebastian, a European photographer from Calcutta, decides to help them. The third book about Uma [the first two were called »Saras reise« (Sara’s journey, 2001) and »Umas øyne« (Uma’s eyes, 2004)] relates how Sebastian donates money for a little house to be built in their village for Uma and her mother Rita. He is also planning to visit the family soon. Meanwhile, the two girls get to know each other better and better and almost feel like sisters. The well-travelled author knows how to make the Indian lifestyle and way of thinking accessible for her readers without denying the difficulties of intercultural contacts. Therefore, this children’s novel is a wonderful contribution to the exchange between different cultures. (10+) <>