Representing the best
Finnish authors abroad
Finnish authors abroad
Hilda and her dad Jack live a wild-and-woolly life. Hilda is stubborn and clever; it’s Jack’s job to clean up the fall-out the best he can.
Jack reads a bedtime story chosen by his strong-willed daughter Hilda – the one that they’ve read a hundred times before, children being famously conservative in this regard. In the story, a wasp stings a bear. Jack falls asleep, but as clever little Hilda knows how the story ends, there will be surprise for her snoring dad.
Praise for the work
“Majaluoma’s boisterous, quirky illustrations nicely roll out Hilda’s stubborn, clever personality and the fun storyline. Children laugh out loud at the book’s mishaps.” -Savon Sanomat
“This picture book begins with the statement “A book is a garden”. In this garden there is certainly a lot to look at. Jalmari is reading Hulda a bedtime story, and the warmth of the setting will appeal not only to children, but also to adults reading the book to a child.
The thoughtfully drawn pictures and strong story easily draw the reader into the enchantment of the world of fairy tales. The double-page illustrations that begin and end the book continue the story where the text leaves off. The strong overlap of text and illustration forms a coherent whole that carries the story.
Hulda chooses an animal story for Jalmari to read, and the text takes a two-level form. Young readers will easily follow both stories with the help of the illustrations. Before saying goodnight to Hulda, we have an adventure in the forest, lose ourselves in the world of dreams, and get completely caught up in the animal story. And when Hulda finally falls asleep, the two-page final illustration opens a gateway to an inviting garden.
A good idea needs nothing more than a concise text and artful drawings. That’s what lovely bedtime stories are made of.” – Finlandia Junior Prize Jury 2011
English (Pikku Publishing)
Simplified Chinese (Publishing House of Electronic Industry)
French (La Joie de Lire)
Finnish edition
Shortlisted for the Finlandia Junior Prize in 2011.