Every once in a while, I think about posting a review for a book I’ve read. Like many good intentions, I never quite manage to get around to it, instead spending my writing time on my own books.
Well, this time I’m finally putting thought into action. My stepmom, Ewa Carlsson, who designed my Flying Tiger web banner, illustrated a children’s book. It’s called Nar grisen Nisse kom till Skolen, written by her dear friend Margareta Fritz.
The book contains 14 stories of Mia’s life as a small girl in rural northern Sweden. I read an English translation, and the stories are a charming glimpse into a world very different from that of a modern American child. Children ride to school in a car, instead of a yellow schoolbus, gnomes live in barns, and little girls roam the fields and forests of beautiful northern Sweden. Ewa’s illustrations of the stories are sweet and whimsical and so evocative of another time and way of life. The cover illustration is for the story of Mia’s pet pig, Nisse. Nisse followed Mia everywhere, even to school, which caused her to be the object of much teasing by the other kids.
The book is presently only available in Swedish, but Ewa’s illustrations are enjoyable all by themselves. Here’s a link to Adlibris, where you can get the Swedish language hardback. Good luck, Ewa!