Me, Fidel and the Big City
A magically realistic picture book about curiosity and finding one’s true self in a busy metropolis told from point of a cautious child.
The hustle and bustle, flashing lights and tall buildings of the big city can feel overwhelming to someone small. The child and pet dog Fidel are visiting big sister who loves to live in the middle of the vivid atmosphere. The child again is terrified about the urban rush – loud noises, bright lights and strangers rushing past. The city is filled with many scary things. Even the pack of hounds at the dog park wag their tails viscously and look quite frightening.
But maybe not everything is what it seems at first? It turns out that Fidel and the biggest dog of the pack have a lot to talk about. It isn’t long that the child and Fidel find themselves enjoying their time together with new friends and the atmosphere of the city turns out to be comfy after all. There’s a place for everyone there.
Lena Frölander-Ulf’s Me, Fidel and the Big City is an independent sequel to Me, Dad and the Sea (2018) and Me, Fidel and the Forest (2016). The magnificent detailed dark images in this scraperboard picture book give a sense of urban city life. It’s a comforting story about overcoming fear and finding your own place in the big overwhelming world.
info
Year of publication
2021
Original title
Fidel och jag i storstan
Page count
40
Original publisher
Förlaget M
Original language of publication
Swedish
Reviews
Vi Läser
"There is an eerie and magical feel in this book’s illustration world that stays with you."
Lastenkirjahylly -blog
"Lena Frölander-Ulf has a phenomenal gift to identify with a sensitive child’s inner world. Me, Fidel and the Big City embraces pluralism subtly but effectively. The picture book inspires one to initiate discussions on the topic with children and practice identification, change of perspective and empathy. Interestingly, the reader gets to know the child’s family member one by one as the series continues."
Mia Österlund, Hufvudstadsbladet newspaper
"Lena Frölander-Ulf masters the time-consuming method, and it gives her visual expression an own, distinctive style…The text's tight, precise expression stands out of from the dark background …Kindness is offered in the form of soft roundness of the snouts, the warmth of furs and the warm-orange light that permeates the book. Praise for the elegant cover where the city light in the form of windowpanes creates an atmosphere…Me, Fidel and the Big City is a multi-faceted picture book that doesn’t duck because there is danger in the big city but refuses to bow to fear.
Janet Wallsten, Österbottens Tigning
"Especially in the big city, you can experience greater freedom to be who you want to be, which the book also conveys…
Illustrations of the city under evening lighting are atmospheric and well-made in harmonic colours…The pictures are detailed. You can immerse yourself in them for a long time, look for new details to discover.
The text and image create a fine whole and the message that fears can be overcome is important. For many children, this ability is one of the biggest challenges to overcome on the journey to adulthood."
Alexandra Sundqvist, Dagens Nyheter newspaper, Sweden
"The trilogy about the child who meets the forest, the sea and the big city with the dog Fidel is reminiscent of a box of English sweets. […] With her adorable scraping technique, Lena Frölander-Ulf has conquered a very own corner in contemporary, Nordic picture book art.
[…]Through the years and the titles, she has not only refined the scraping technique but also the storytelling technique. […]Me, Fidel and the Big City is a seamless reading experience. And above all, an absolutely fantastic, full-fledged storytelling."Kommunalarbetaren
"Me, Fidel and the Big City offers an incomparable craft where the dark, detailed images have been scraped out of cardboard.
I like to read this unusual and absolutely brilliant book over and over again to my child."
Sissel Ray, Ibby Finland
"Frölander-Ulf's illustrations made in dark scratch cardboard are completely captivating. The previous books in the series have illustrations created in the same technique but play with a more natural color base. In this book, the black is interspersed with a bolder color palette in the shades of yellow, red, purple and blue, which really enhances the feeling of light noise and cold darkness that is present in the big city. The book also offers spreads that spread out in height and make the reader feel as small as the self feels under the cold facade of the skyscrapers.
Frölander-Ulf completes her picture book series about fears with a warm story that teaches the reader not to judge the dog by its hair. As in the previous books in the series, it's okay to be scared, but it's also possible to face your fear and become friends with it."Runeberg Junior Prize jury 2022
“Me, Fidel and the Big City” (Fidel och jag i storstan) by Lena Frölander is a dark picture book about fears. The big city with its flashing lights, advertisements and noise can be scary. Not to mention the dog park. The perspective of the illustrations makes the reader turn giddy as details and strange creatures emerge from the black darkness. But everything changes in a spell. Maybe not everything is as it seems? "
Awards & Nominations
Nominations
Runeberg Junior Prize
2022
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