Focus on Finnish Writers

Marjatta Levanto & Julia Vuori, Unennäkijä tulee — Hugo Simbergin kuvia (‘The Dream-Weaver Comes — Hugo Simberg’s pictures’, Otava, 2000)

In the past seven years, the number of Finnish non-fiction books for children and youth has risen, and there are more and more non-fiction children’s authors, as well. These books come not only from large publishers, but numerous smaller publishers, non-profits, associations, museums, and agencies, creating a multifaceted supply of children’s non-fiction. Since the year 2000, there has been a total of about 350 non-fiction books for children and young people published in Finland, and their subject matter varies from backyard bugs to food preparation to astronomy.

History is often presented to children through fiction. Markku Löytönen has been a leading name in historical books for children and has, in fact, won awards for his book on the life of Finnish explorer G. A. Wallin, Arabian salaperäinen vaeltaja (‘Arabia’s mysterious wanderer’, SKS, 2001) among others. His most recent book Viidakkotanssi (‘Jungle dance’, SKS, 2007) is once again an adventure in exploration, this time with Rafael Karsten, who roamed with the Jibaro indians in the Ecuadorian jungle. The illustrations are by Riikka Säntti.

Suomen lasten historia (‘A child’s history of Finland’, Otava, 2005), by Jussi Kaakinen, Juha Kuisma, and Kirsti Manninen, is an ambitious trip across the entire history of Finland. It also contains fictional elements, following the life of a child or young person from each era.

Micro-historical stories and narratives offer a vivid picture of an era and its historical milieu, even though they are not always about historic personages in their youth. Among award-winning authors in this category are Maijaliisa Dieckmann, who takes her readers into a Bridgettine convent in her novel Luostarin Piritta (‘Piritta of the Cloister’, Tammi, 2003), Hannele Huovi, who describes the murder of a boy in a glass-factory town in the 1800s in her book Lasiaurinko (‘Glass sun’, Tammi, 1996), and Raili Mikkanen, who tells the story of writer Aino Kallas’ youth in her novel Ei ole minulle suvannot! (‘No quiet waters for me!’, Tammi, 2002).

Prize-winning children’s author Mauri Kunnas’s non-fiction works approach their subjects by way of delightful illustrations and humor. Most recently, Kunnas presents the Vikings and information about the days of yore in his books Viikingit tulevat! (English version The Vikings are Coming!, Otava, 2006) and Koiramäen lapset ja näkki (‘The children of Dog Hill and the water sprite’, Otava, 2007) (see the Spotlight children’s picture book articles from 2006 and 2007). Mauri Kunnas is the highest-selling and most translated author of Finnish children’s picture-books.

Art history is presented in Marjatta Levanto’s work Unennäkijä tulee — Hugo Simbergin kuvia (‘The Dream-Weaver Comes — Hugo Simberg’s pictures’, Otava, 2000), which is an airy and eloquent analysis of the works of artist Hugo Simberg (1873-1917). The illustrations are by Julia Vuori. The book was the Winner of the Introducing Art to Children Special Award in Bologna Children's Book Fair in 2001.

In the world of Finnish publishing, it has been important that children learn to sing and play circle games in their own language. Almost every publisher has its own book of songs and games, some of which are also available on cd. The books include both old familiar classics and slightly newer words and lyrics. For instance, Vauvan vaaka: lauluja ja leikkejä vauvaperheille (‘A baby’s scales: songs and games for families with babies’, Tammi, 2002), by Hannele Huovi and composer and educator Soili Perkiö, is based on contemporary poems and compositions. Perkiö’s catchy children’s songs are played all over Finland in play-schools for babies and kids’ classrooms, on stage and at home. The illustrations are by Kristiina Louhi.

Individual instruments are presented in Liisa Lauerma and Ismo Rekola’s Villit pillit — lasten urkukirja (‘Wild pipes — the organ for children’, Lasten keskus, 2007). The book tells a fictional story about building a pipe organ, but between the lines, and in the final portion of the book, there is abundant information about organ music, and about the construction and capabilities of the instrument.

Some youth non-fiction occupies a border region between adult and youth literature. Books about Finnish musical artists and bands are a good example. They are either quickly assembled fan publications, or else abundantly illustrated books caught up in the details of a star’s background, hard work, music-making, and success. A high point of the musician’s biography was the publication of Juho Juntunen’s book HIM: synnin viemää (‘HIM: gone with the sin’, WSOY, 2002) at the beginning of the decade.

Books about various life situations such as foster care, adoption, and new configurations of the family have been published by large publishers as well as interest groups and associations. Miuku Pörrönen (Pesäpuu ry, 2006) a picture book for small children by Christine Välivaara and Kirsti Pusa, tells the story of Miuku, who has to move away from home and in with a foster family because his parents can’t take care of him and his little sister. Auringon lapset: adoptiolapsemme Kolumbiasta, Etiopiasta ja Thaimaasta (‘Children of the sun: our adopted children from Columbia, Ethiopia, and Thailand’, Lasten keskus, 2005) is a book about adoption for slightly older children and their parents by Maija Karjalainen, Pia Nynäs and Tytti Tuunanen. The same theme is dealt with through fiction in the book Pikku Xing (‘Little Xing’, Tammi, 2004), by Leena Virtanen and Salla Savolainen.

Young people living through the changes of puberty can be found in several books by award-winning child psychiatrist Raisa Cacciatore, such as Hei beibi, mä oon tulta — Nuoren oma seksikirja (‘Hey, baby, I’m on fire: the young person’s very own book of sex’, WSOY, 2004) and her book for boys, titled Legopalikoista leopardikalsareihin — Pojan matka mieheksi (‘From legos to leopardskin underwear — a boy’s journey to manhood’, Tammi, 2001).

The world around us is portrayed in atlases and books of geography, such as Karo Hämäläinen and Jii Roikonen’s Voi Maamme! (‘Oh, our country!’, Tammi, 2001), and Voi Eurooppa! (‘Oh, Europe!’, Tammi, 2001) brisk depictions of Finland and its connection with Europe.  Oma Helsinki-kirjani (‘My very own Helsinki book’) published by the Helsinki City Museum in 2004, brings together architecture, history, and map-reading. Tatun ja Patun Suomi (English version This is Finland, Otava, 2007), by Aino Havukainen and Sami Toivonen, with its humorous and informative take on Finnish geography and culture, won the 2007 Finlandia Junior Prize (see the 2007 Spotlight article on picture books).

For many years, there has been what can only be described as a cookbook boom in Finland. In addition to cookbooks for adults, there has been a parallel phenomenon in children’s literature of cooking stories and cooking comic book characters such as Uppo the teddy bear in Uppo-Nallen kokkikoulu (‘Uppo the Bear’s cooking school’, WSOY, 2002), by Elina Karjalainen and Hannu Taina, and Donald Duck in Aku Ankka: puolialaston kokki. Sami Garam kokkaa herkkuja Ankkalinnasta (‘Donald Duck: the half-naked chef. Sami Garam cooks treats from Duck Castle’, Sanoma Magazines Finland, 2004).

There are also books for children on handicrafts and woodworking, guidebooks, gardening books, and guides to caring for animals. Kids can learn how to build a fort from Pihla Meskanen’s Pieni majakirja (‘The little book of forts’, Tammi, 2006), or how to crochet from Anne-Maija Immonen’s Joka tyypin virkkauskirja (‘Everybody’s crochet book’, WSOY, 2006). Tuire Kaimio’s Hevonen: Ensimmäinen oppaani (‘The horse: my first handbook’, WSOY, 2006), is a thorough treatment that explains how to gain your horse’s trust as well as how to take care of it.

Tuula Korolainen, Riitta Tulusto and Leena Lumme gently encourage kids to do and learn and have fun in their award-winning books about fruits and vegetables Pummelo ja rumeliini: kaiken maailman hedelmiä (‘Pomelos and tangelos: fruit from around the world’, Lasten keskus, 2000) and Sillä sipuli: kasviksia kasvaville (‘Know your onions: vegetables for growing kids’, Lasten keskus, 2001). Their other works include books on gardening and cooking, and books on mushrooms, berries, and fish that combine stories, poetry, facts,andrecipes in each volume.

Finland-Swedish writer Anna Gullichsen also writes about gardening. Her book on caring for garden plants in the summertime, Saga Blom (Söderströms, 2008) is illustrated in rich, saturated color by Cara-Maria Knuutinen.

Finland has a tradition of publishing many books on natural science for children. Animals and the natural world are explored in these books by way of the garden, a city street, or your own back yard. In Konnankierros (‘A toad’s rounds’, Tammi, 2003), written by Anne Petäinen and illustrated by Mika Launis, we get to know the animals in the confines of the yard, with the help of little stories, and a frog for a guide.

Finnish astronomer Markus Hotakainen has written Tildan tähdet: Lasten oma avaruuskirja (‘Tilda’s stars: a child’s book about space’, WSOY, 2007), with illustrations drawn to make it easier for children to find the Great Bear, the Dog Star, and the Whale. Pentti Huovinen’s book on medicine, Heippa, täällä bakteeri (’Hi there. It’s me, a bacteria’, WSOY, 2007), is all about the harmful and beneficial bacteria that live in a child’s body and environment, shedding light on their reproduction and elimination with examples from a dishcloth and some xylitol chewing gum. The book was the winner of the State Award for Public Information in 2008. Both books treat their subjects in an up-close, concrete way.

Kaisu Rättyä

The Finnish Institute for Children's Literature

28.3.2008