Representing the best
Finnish authors abroad
Finnish authors abroad
Purdy is a cat and Barker is a dog. They live together on a sky-blue house on a hill. At the foot of the hill there’s a pond, and next to it a village that is home to their friends Chicken von Cluck, Cow Mooston, Horse Neighborly and others.
“Do you think I’m perfect?” Purdy asks Barker one day, as they were mowing the lawn. Out of the corner of his eye, Barker glanced at his friend, who was waiting for an answer, tail quivering.
“I don’t think anyone’s totally perfect,” Barker said.
“But what about me?” Purdy insisted.
The first book in the Purdy & Barker series contains 20 silly, serious stories.
Purdy & Barker, 2007
Purdy & Barker and the Giant Snowball, 2009
Purdy & Barker Build a House, 2010
Purdy & Barker’s Big Adventure, 2011
Purdy & Barker and Bear Growler, 2012
Purdy & Barker’s Book of Stories, 2013
Purdy & Barker’s Little Book of Friendship, 2013
Purdy & Barker’s Snout Book, 2014
Purdy & Barker’s Travel Book, 2015
Purdy & Barker Have a Good Day, 2017
The Best of Purdy & Barker, 2019
128pp
4-colour illustrations
160 x 203mm
Chinese, simplified (Guomai Culture & Media Co., Ltd.)
Croatian (Ibis Grafika)
English/WEL (Gecko Press)
German (Hanser)
Hungarian (Kolibri Kiadó)
Japanese (Bunken Shuppan)
Latvian (Zvaigzne ABC)
Lithuanian (Alma Littera)
Romanian (Editura Cortea Copiilor)
Russian (Albus Corvus)
Slovenian (KUD Sodobnost)
English edition
Finnish edition
German edition
‘Finn Parvela tells 20 stories in 20 chapters in wry, straightforward prose […]. Complex characters, by turns witty and foolish, will charm readers and listeners alike; Talvitie’s smudgy-lined full-color illustrations complete the package. A solid purchase for those seeking fresh tales with a classic feel or a broader world-lit collection.’ — Kirkus Reviews, USA
‘This is gently humorous, finely written entertainment, which is sometimes comical and ironic, while providing a delightful and simple insight into the nature of relationships…. All in all, it’s high quality children’s literature.’ – Kevin Steinberger, Magpies Magazine, Australia
‘These charming, witty, sensible, fanciful, and forgiving characters will delight both readers and listeners.’ – The Children’s Hour, USA
‘These oddly-matched friends complement each other, producing a sense of amused contentment – just as this book does.’ – Trevor Agnew, Stuff (NZ)
‘You could pour over this book for hours and re-read it a million times and never get bored. And just wait till you get to the end of this story – I doubt there is a better ending to a story anywhere else.’ – The Younger Sun Review, Australia
‘Readers with fond memories of Frog and Toad and those who like Winnie-the-Pooh will love meeting this new pair of friends.’ – School Library Journal, USA
‘One of the best books I have read this year and possibly one of the best books ever. — You will kick yourself if you miss this one.’ – Bob Docherty, at Bob’s Book Blog (NZ)
‘This collection of short episodes features Purdy, a scheming, lazy cat and hard-working, long suffering Barker the dog. Together they live in a sky-blue house on top of a hill. Classified as Junior Fiction, these stories will appeal to readers of all ages. They are great read aloud tales integrating humour, life lessons to be learned, coping with relationships, making decisions, as well as celebrating life’s odd moments.’ – Book Rapt, NZ
‘The occasional colour pictures are brilliant; these will strongly appeal to younger readers.’ – The Book Bag, UK
‘Each chapter is a self-contained story, delightfully illustrated by Virpi Talvitie, and together they paint a complete portrait of a beautiful friendship – Politics and Prose Bookstore, USA
‘Parvela is a master of quiet humour. The storytelling is profound in its naiveté and the style speaks to the readers of all ages. I predict a long and successful future for Purdy and Barker.’ – Keskisuomalainen newspaper, Finland
‘Timo Parvela and Virpi Talvitie’s Purdy & Barker is the stuff that classics are made of.’ – Keskisuomalainen newspaper, Finland
‘It makes the reader think about the catness and dogness, selfishness and self-sacrifice.’ – Helsingin Sanomat newspaper, Finland
‘You could try to find a book more gorgeous than this one, but it’ll be a waste of your time because this book already has it all.’ – Luettua Elämää blog, Finland