Sweden

Materials from Sweden

The Art And Life Of Hilma Af Klint

Hilma af Klimt was born in Sweden in 1862. She would grow up to be an artist, and her life would be filled with magic and mystery. Hilma lived at a time when people were fascinated by what they couldn’t see. The invention of the telegraph and telephone made it possible to communicate over long distances, and spiritualists believed it was possible to speak with the dead. When Hilma began to hear the spirits, she found a new purpose for her paintings. For nearly one hundred years her paintings were forgotten, but when they were rediscovered they changed the history of art.

Featured in WOW Review Volume XVI, Issue 2.

The Night Raven (The Moonwind Mysteries)

Stockholm winter 1880: twelve-year old Mika knows that it will be a struggle for everyone in the orphanage to survive this winter. To everyone’s shock, a newborn baby is left at the orphanage in the middle of the night with a cryptic message. Who is this baby boy? Where did he come from? And who is the “Dark Angel”? Meanwhile, there is an ease of mind knowing that the notorious serial killer, known as the Night Raven, is finally off the streets… or is he? Enter Detective Hoff who recruits Mika because of her ability to notice small details – a skill she credits for her ability to survive. He is investigating a gruesome murder and needs Mika’s help. With such little hope for the future, Mika questions if this could be an opportunity, or maybe, just maybe, a chance to be someone who matters.

We Are Lions!

The narrator and his big brother have the best game in the world together. They are dangerous lions on the savannah! One day, big brother doesn’t want to run around anymore. His stomach hurts. He has to see the doctor and take medicine, and even has to stay at the hospital. Lions don’t want to be trapped by wires and tubes! The narrator instigates a hunt, and the brothers run around the hospital together, chasing gazelles and startling the wildebeest. But big brother is very sick and can’t keep up. Lions can’t cry, his little brother insists. But they can miss the rest of their pride. With Mom and Dad, the narrator tries to comfort his sibling. Soon, he knows, the two lions will go hunting again.

The Bird In Me Flies

What do you do when it feels impossible to live up to everything expected of you? When the only person who understands you disappears? When you are young and long for something that seems out of reach?Berta dreams of being an artist, but as a girl growing up in a small Swedish farming village in the 1920s, she has little hope. She finds solace in nature, and in drawing and shaping birds from clay for her mother, the only person who seems to truly understand her. When her mother succumbs to tuberculosis, Berta feels alone, in despair and even more burdened by all the work on the farm. Can she find the courage to defy her father and the social conventions of her time, and fly free?This beautifully illustrated novel in verse, inspired by the paintings, letters and diaries of Swedish artist Berta Hansson (1910-1994), is a universal story of grief, longing and following your dreams. Includes an afterword by journalist Alexandra Sundqvist.

The Fearless Little Farm Boy

A classic picture book from Pippi Longstocking -creator Astrid Lindgren. One beautiful spring day in Sweden, Goran the bull charges furiously out of his stall and into the farmyard. People gather from miles around to see the angry animal, but no one can calm him down. Then Karl, the farm boy, has a brave idea. Can the little boy save the day? A charming, traditional story from Astrid Lindgren, bestselling author of Pippi Longstocking , with illustrations from acclaimed Swedish artist Marit Tornqvist. Nostalgic illustrations of wooden houses, characterful villagers and silver birch trees wonderfully evoke the spirit of a Swedish farm from long ago.

The Secrets Of Cricket Karlsson

Eleven-year-old Cricket Karlsson is a warm and complex character with an artistic soul. Written as a diary, tween readers will fall in love with Cricket’s tough yet charming voice as she shares her secret thoughts about her best friend break-up, her Aunt’s breakdown and experimental chewing gum sculptures. Punkish and surprising comic-style illustrations perfectly compliment this coming of age story

Hidden Powers: Lise Meitner’s Call To Science

A biographical novel in verse about Lise Meitner, an Austrian Jew and physics professor in Nazi Germany who escaped to Sweden and whose work led to the discovery of nuclear fission. Includes author’s note and timeline.

The Dog Walk

It’s time for Grandma’s dog to go for a walk. The eager pooch tugs the boy’s hand, excited to get going. But where will they end up? This is a dog walk like no other, through amazing fairy-tale worlds, paintings come to life, Escher-esque castles, an intricately cluttered antique store, and past countless delights: walking teapots, miniature steamboats, giant hedgehogs and islands with sails.