Boy and the Red Skirt
Boy and the Red Skirt is a brave story about the importance of being true to yourself and celebrating individuality. Told from a child’s perspective with an autobiographical voice, the book tells a story about Ronnie who can’t resist the red skirt that glimmers in his mother’s cupboard. He’s aware that the world is divided between girls’ and boys’ things but who’s to say that it should be?
Ronnie’s Grandma always says that you shouldn’t worry about what others think of you. The red skirt is Ronnie’s own happy secret, and as it is set free in the schoolyard, joy overcomes fear.
Boy and the Red Skirt is author Jani Toivola’s first children’s book. The uplifting story is brought to life by rising Nordic talent, debut illustrator Saara Obele’s lively and beautiful artwork.
Toivola hopes this book would speak to everyone and remind them that there are no rules, and your own story can change the world. He feels that children’s books have a significant role in a child’s life. They encourage them to find their own story and voice, relate to others and increase empathy when navigating and finding their place in the surrounding world. He sees storytelling and literature as essential parts of one’s cultural heritage that is carried within throughout life.
While working with an illustrator for the first time Toivola was inspired by how Saara Obele sketched his inner world into shapes and colours. He especially admires her rich and full-bodied use of colors and the expressiveness of the characters. You can read a huge variety of emotions and layers from Ronnie’s face.
info
Year of publication
2021
Original title
Poika ja hame
Page count
40
Original publisher
Otava Publishing Company
Original language of publication
Finnish
Reviews
Ibby Finland
“The Ronnie books by Jani Toivola and Saara Obele are coherent books that reform the Finnish children’s book field, in which the main character is a child who challenges normative concepts in many ways. The books normalize the differences in families and the complex emotional lives of children. The warm series with its text and illustrations reminds one of the importance of believing in yourself. Although the Ronnie picture book series is a combination of illustration and text, Toivola as the author of the series is nominated for the award.”
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Quote
”The skirt turns into a huge, rolling sea, and Ronnie is a ship gracefully riding on its waves. The harder he runs, the stronger and more confident he feels. The faster he runs, the more he feels like smiling.”