Picture Books

Mørkt

Published by Samlaget, 2018

An original work about being scared of the dark

Sonny is scared about disappearing in the dark. Which is why he always tries to stay awake for as long as he can. But tonight, there are noises coming from the shadows. The sounds creep closer and closer, and suddenly Sonny finds himself in the middle of a pitch-black tornado. But in the darkness, he is introduced to Natalia.  At the same time he is also introduced to courage.

Once again, the prize-winning pair, Gyrid Axe Øvsteng and Per Ragnar Møkleby, have put together a bombastic storyline, based on touching themes. In Dark, the duo tackle fear in an utterly original way. After all, what do you do when the worst possible thing that could happen, actually happens? Follow Sonny into the darkness to find out. Complete English translation is available.

Gyrid Axe Øvsteng (b. 1974) is an author and dramatist. She had her fiction debut in 2009 with her picture book Finn! She also holds qualifications in both theatre and Nordic studies.

Pre Ragnar Møkleby (b. 1974) is an illustrator and a graphic artist. Møkleby has made several books together with Øvsteng. For their 2013 work, Førstemamma på Mars (First Mummy on Mars), they shared the Norwegian  Ministry of Culture’s Best Book Prize as well as the Norwegian Critic’s prize for the best book for children and young people. Translation rights: Sold to China.                                 

 Jakob og Neikob og alle andre
Published by Samlaget, 2018

Fifth bok about the prize-winning, dynamic duo Yesper and Noper!
–   Noper, are you sad?

• NO, I am devastated, Noper says. I want to be like Everyone Else.
• Do know who Everyone Else is then? Yesper asks.
• Will you come with me to find him?
• Yes, says Yesper.

Yesper and Noper search for everywhere for Everyone Else: on the bus, in the ocean and in the space. Finally, they find him on Planet Uno. And there is also a cloning machine there. Can Noper actually be like Everyone Else? If so, will Yesper be able to find him when he looks like Everyone Else.

The  daily Adresseavisen’s reviewer gave 6 on the dice and wrote: “A wonderful, touching testament to the intrinsic worth of each and every slightly less-than-perfect child. This is the fifth book about the duo, and it is also the best. This is an extremely entertaining, scary, funny and original story, both in terms of the text and its illustrations.”

The Yesper and Noper series:  1: Yesper and Noper (2008), 2: Yesper and Noper. The Thief Strikes Back (2012), 3:  Yesper and Noper and the Empty Room (2014) 4: Yesper and Noper. The Neighbour  (2016).

The reviewers wrote:                                                                                                                           “Kari Stai’s series about the sourpuss Noper and the optimist Yesper are among the best picture books we’ve got.” (Dagbladet)     Kari Stai’s Yesper and Noper and the Thief was undoubtedly one of the most perfectly realised publications in Norwegian in 2012 across all genres.  With the third book, Yesper and Noper and the Empty Room, Stai’s again shows the exquisite interplay between text and images, with every word and every geometrical line working closely together. A book about friendship and reconciliation by one of our most stylistically talented authors of books for readers of all ages. “ (Morgenbladet). The reviewers were full of admiration for the forth book:  : “The concept of Yesper and Noper is brilliantly realised, and The Neighbour maintains the same, high standards, with some delightful variations. (Barnebokkritikk.no)

Kari Stai (b. 1974) is one of the most popular and respected picture books artists in Norway. She has received especially acclaim for her Yesper and Noper series; the precise language as well as the artistic drawings and use of colours. She has received many prizes, among others the Debutant Prize of the Ministry of Culture, The Brage prize and the Critique’s award for the other two books about Yesper and Noper: Yesper and Noper /Jakob og Neikob), 2008,  and Yesper and Noper.The Thief Strikes Back / Jakob og Neikob. Tjuven slår tilbake (2012).

The books are sold to Germany (vol. 1-2),  India (vol. 1-2,  3 languages) Denmark (vol. 1) , Egypt (vol. 1-2),  Korea (vol. 1-3), China (vol. 1-3) and France and Uruguay  (vol. 1). Stai has also made the board books series about  Mopp and Mikko. All titles are available in English versions.

 Skalla                                                                                                                      Published by Samlaget, 2018

Not your everyday picture book about being sick 

Iben is seriously unwell, and needs to go to hospital to get emergency treatment. On her first day there, she meets Malla the Baldie. Malla wants to show Iben around, and together they journey to some of the secret, magical rooms inside the hospital. Perhaps it is possible to still have a wicked time… even when you’re sick?

Baldie is a book about lolly-flavoured flowers, disco music, and all the wondrous magic that springs from making new friends.

Randi Fuglehaug (b. 1980) is a freelance journalist and has written non-fiction works for both children and adults. Fuglehaug published her first work of fiction in 2017 with her parrot-themed picture book Papelina.  Nora Brech (b. 1988) is an illustrator and author, and has collaborated on several illustrated books.

 

Pling vaken                                                                                                                     Published by Samlaget, 2018

                                                                                                     

A hilarious, illustrated book about bedtime

Klara can’t get to sleep. She does everything she can think of, like drinking extra water, taking an extra trip to the toilet, and trying to convince mummy to sing just one more lullaby. But no matter what she does, Klara feels wide awake.

And things doesn’t get any easier when Klara learns that the monster in the cupboard can’t sleep either! Wide Awake is the classic tale of a child who neither can nor will sleep – and about everything that happens when she tries.

Irene Ahnéll (b. 1971) works as a director and an actres. She is an artistic director for the Bergen-based theatre company, Krabatene, who specialize in creating theatre for children and young people. Wide Awake is her literary debut.  Elisabeth Moseng (b.1967) is an illustrator and author. Moseng has been educated at several institutions, including Kingston University in London. She has illustrated a long line of books and was the mind behind Mr Jones Got a Visitor/Herr Hansen får besøk (see below).