We are excited to share the news that Nelson Tigerpaw (Nelson Tigertass), Vesta-Linnéa and Friends (Vesta-Linnéa och vännerna), Princess Pintsize – It’s Not Fair! (Prinsessa Pikkiriikki: Huutava vääryys) and The Duck Who Was Afraid to Fly (Sorsa Aaltonen ja lentämisen oireet) have all been nominated for the 2020 Runeberg Junior Prize. The winner of the prestigious literature prize will be announced 5th February 2020.
Nelson Tigerpaw (Nelson Tigertass) written and illustrated by Lena Frölander-Ulf
- Published in Swedish by Förlaget M and in Finnish by Teos
- Pages: 240
- Age: 6+
Runeberg Junior Jury:
“Nelson Tigerpaw is story about a lost child, sent home by his grandfather, even though Nelson is clueless how find his way back home to mother. During the journey he encounters both trustworthy and dangerous beings. Lena Frölander-Ulf’s text and illustrations present social criticism and belief in the importance of building up courage and learning to think for yourself. By doing so, Nelson transforms into Nelson Tigerpaw.”
Nelson Tigerpaw is also nominated for this year’s Finlandia Juvenile Literature Prize.
Vesta-Linnéa and Friends (Vesta-Linnéa och vännerna) written by Tove Appelgren and illustrated by Salla Savolainen
- Published in Swedish by Förlaget M and in Finnish by Tammi
- Pages: 32
- Age: 4+
Runeberg Junior Jury:
“Vesta-Linnéa and Friends tells the story of Vesta-Linnéa who struggles with the feeling of disappointment as she feels abandoned by her favourite friend. The picture book dives into the reality of a child’s everyday life and the role of a smartphone.”
Film rights for Vesta-Linnéa series have been sold, the book rights have been sold in 13 languages.
Princess Pintsize – It’s Not Fair! (Prinsessa Pikkiriikki: Huutava vääryys) written by Hannele Lampela and illustrated by Ninka Reittu
- Published in Finnish by Tammi
- Pages: 60
- Age: 5+
Runeberg Junior Jury:
“Hannele Lampela’s Princess Pintsize – It’s Not Fair is a joyful book about a rebellious little girl who knows how things should be. The differences between the worlds of adults and children are viewed from a child’s perspective. The injustices are enormous. Ninka Reittu’s insightful illustration is both amusing and uplifting.”
Translation rights for Princess Pintsize series have been sold in Danish, Estonian, Norwegian and Russian. Princess Pintsize, the first book in the series, has also been selected for the White Raven list in Germany and nominated for Runeberg prize in 2017.
The Duck Who Was Afraid to Fly (Sorsa Aaltonen ja lentämisen oireet) written by Veera Salmi and illustrated by Matti Pikkujämsä
- Published in Finnish by Otava
- Pages: 32
- Age: 4+
Runeberg Junior Jury:
“The Duck Who Was Afraid to Fly is a mesmerizing book about overcoming self-doubt. Matti Pikkujämsä’s fresh illustration and Veera Salmi’s hilarious narrative emphasize that the symptoms of flying should be taken seriously. When you dare to dream and let go, anything is possible.”
Author Veera Salmi has previously been nominated for various awards, including Finlandia prize. Illustrator Matti Pikkujämsä has previously been nominated for Finlandia prize twice and he was honoured with the first Illustrator of the Year title in 2019.