Tatu and Patu: Monster-Monster and Other Strange Stories

By Aino Havukainen & Sami Toivonen

It was a dark and stormy night… Tatu and Patu and their friend Veera gather to tell strange and scary stories about odd characters and unusual events, such as The Unbelievable Tale of Drandruff and The Frozen Lightning. Even a few monsters will make an appearance.

Have you heard of the Monster-Monster, a creature that is built of all the monsters in the world? Or have you heard the story of Vlad the Explainer, the prince of excuses? There even is the tale of the mysterious fruit scale which makes products go crazy once you place them! What about the story of the wild bicycle, which only children can tame? 

These untamed stories are bound to entertain readers of all ages as Havukainen and Toivonen will also impress with their astonishing illustrations created with great detail. A collection of exciting comical fables, they will keep five-year olds and older readers hooked. This is the 21st book in the popular Tatu and Patu series.

Publishing information

About the author

Aino Havukainen & Sami Toivonen work together as children’s authors, illustrators, and graphic designers. For the young Finnish readers they are best known as the creators of the hilarious Oddville boys, Tatu and Patu, whose limitless imagination we can admire already in 23 titles to date. The riotous humour of these hugely popular illustrated books appeals to children and adults alike. Tatu and Patu: This is Finland won the Finlandia Junior prize in 2007, and in 2017 the authors were granted the Finland State Prize for Children’s Culture. In Finland Tatu and Patu books have sold over 1.3 million copies and the translation rights have been sold in 31 languages. Aino Havukainen was born in 1968. She graduated as a graphic designer from Lahti Institute of Design in 1992 and has worked as multimedia designer and as an AD in an advertising agency until the beginning of her free lance career in 1996.Sami Toivonen was born in 1971. He graduated also as a graphic designer from Lahti Institute of Design in 1994 and has worked free lance since 1996. He was awarded in 1989 with the Finnish Critics’ Association’s award “Boost for Criticism” for his comic strips, given annually to a young artist for a fresh artistic breakthrough.