Christmas is reading time. It’s something everyone knows! Well, Christmas is a time for traditions, but what about getting to know something new? Entertainment, excitement – or historical knowledge in cartoon form. Here are a bunch of good children’s and youth books from the past year. For the youngest – 3–6 years old He will soon become a good reader. But there is not much twisting in these books. Rather joy and wonder. There is so much imagination in literature for the little ones! And so much you can talk about based on the photos. It can be good to familiarize yourself with the books, both for young and old. Swipe right for the next book tip. “A Mouse Named Julian” by Joe Todd-Stanton Can a mouse and a fox become friends? Against all odds, they will be, in this tiny picture book. Julian lives in a hole, all by himself. He doesn’t care about the other animals in the forest. One day a fox bursts into the hole with its entire head. He remains sitting still. How will this go? It is both scary and beautiful when the illustrations alternate between an intense close-up of a giant and dangerous fox’s snout on the one hand – and a teeming overview of life under the ground on the other. This is an uplifting and surprising narrative that leaves room for the fact that it is also allowed to choose to be alone without it becoming stigmatizing.«There is a rush in Sivert» by Ragnar AalbuSivert is a hippopotamus. Today he is at the beach with his family, but Sivert does not want to swim at all. The others enjoy themselves in the water, but no matter what they say, they are unable to lure Sivert in. Sivert has all the excuses in the world. Anyone who knows? How it goes, you can guess yourself. Aalbu is sure to have a fun surprise in store. The play with Aalbu also applies to the format of the book, which should not be read upwards, but downwards. The printing technique is lovely, tactile, close. This is a cheerful book about a topic that could create conflict and an awkward atmosphere. Here it will be the other way around. Hello Sivert! “Berre mor og Ellinor” by Ingrid Z. Aanestad and Sunniva Sunde Krogseth (ill.) A beautiful little book about being happy, but also sad. It is mother who is sad. How can Ellinor help? It is probably not Ellinor’s responsibility that mother is not well. Nevertheless: Is it permissible to tell how one feels to others? Sunniva Sunde Krogseth zooms in on things that can give joy and security, be it a snail’s house, a seagull or a clam. “Berre mor og Ellinor” does not provide easy solutions to mental ups and downs, but the book can be a door opener for many good conversations between the child and the adult who reads it. The mood is like the weather, says Ellinor’s mother, there is both wind and rain, but fortunately also sunny days. “No!” by Gro Dahle and Svein NyhusTiki climbs a tree and sways in the wind, high up between all the branches. Tiki is not afraid. But it’s Mum and Dad: “Come down!”, they shout, and Tiki is not allowed to climb trees, not play by the water, not pick things up from the ground, not pet dogs. Now Tiki is also scared. And Tiki shrinks. Svein Nyhus draws a globe that is big and wonderful: First inclusive and soft, then dangerous and scrappy. Gro Dahle’s suggestive text is great for reading aloud. “Not!” offers an artistic resistance to fear and a literary encouragement to courage. For the slightly older ones – 5–9 years When do children crack the reading code? It can vary, and a late reader need not mean a bad reader. The variety of offers in this age group reflects the variety of reading experience. Reading aloud is still a good investment. Swipe right for the next book tip. “Grisaldo” by Bjørn F. Rørvik and Per Dybvig (ill.) The Fox and the Little Pig have become favorites among many Norwegian readers through just over a dozen books and theater productions. This time the friendship between them is put to the test. Now football will be played, and then, as you know, it can get quite hot. There will be a real knot in the thread before peace and order can be restored and the veins can be veins again. The edifying morality, modeled after Æsop’s fables, lies cleverly hidden behind the creative play of the football team Buskas. There will be bush humor! The terrific portraits of Per Dybvig, in which the slightest bit of aggrieved feeling is to be documented, go straight to the heart. Nice read-aloud book. Read the entire book review here “In Dovregubbens hall” by Hatti Gryllis, Matthew O’Keefe and Jessica Courtney-Tickle Before tablets took over, many in the publishing industry believed in multimedia books, where one can, for example, press buttons and right cows rout or horses screeching.«Eventyrorkesteret» is an impressive illustrated book series in which you can get both an adventure in text and classical music in your ears, if you press the note buttons. The fifth book in the series is based on Ibsen and Grieg, but this story about Peer Gynt in Dovregubben’s hall is quite loose from the original. The sound in the music judgment is surprisingly good. Can function as a first introduction to well-known classical works.«Herman» by Erlend Loe, Herman Flesvik and Bård Slettvold Torkildsen (ill.) This is a great little book about living in a head that works a little differently than the norm. true stories about Herman Flesvig’s life and thoughts, penned by Erlend Loe, drawn to life by Bård Slettvold Torkildsen. The book is vulnerable and funny. She is easy to read, but expressive, quirky and moving. Above all, it shows that ADHD can also be a superpower, something I think is of enormous value to the many children out there who feel little mastery in everyday life. I think this will hit both children and adults, both with and without a diagnosis. Read the whole book review “Luringen” by Inga H. SætreThis is a charm bomb. Who is Luringen? An adventurous little being who lives to create magic between people. Make us open our eyes to each other. Just what we need after years in isolation. Susanne and Sørensen are neighbours. She wants things neat and clean, she thrives in her own company. Sørensen is in a mess and perhaps wants a friend? Inga H. Sætre, who is also the creator of cartoons, tells just as much through the illustrations as in the sparse text. Cold and naked blue plays against a sumptuous color range of sensations. A happy-ending story that is originally told and that makes you want to follow Luringen’s secret path further. For the oldest children – 8–12 years Cartoon series are the big trend among books for children who can read themselves. Here you can find mostly wordless fantasy series, contemporary stories with topical issues, or non-fiction, where you learn something and are entertained at the same time. Strong emotions are a regular ingredient in books for this age group. Swipe right for the next book tip. “Olivia’s Life. Love, like that” by Heidi LindeLove comes in so many different forms. Sometimes it says bang. Sometimes it passes quickly. And other times, falling in love can make everything downright embarrassing. It is eleven-year-old Olivia who speaks in this story. She lives on alternate weeks with her mother and father, and can reveal in detail what it was like when they fell in love both with each other and with their new partners. She herself is not too concerned with LOVE, but that is before she suddenly discovers Niels in the parallel class… There will be both joy and complications and a bit of everything to clean up for Olivia. In this way, the readers can also get a little push to sort out their own lives. This is the third book about Olivia. The wind comes whistling every time Henry talks about his mother, who died when he was little. It will be dangerous to talk about her. Are Henry and his father doomed to live in a train? This is an exciting, magical and entertaining story that does not become sad even though it is about sadness. Because Henry and his friends have the courage to challenge the spirits that break things. Community gives strength. Tronstad allows a slice of the adventure to infiltrate everyday life and makes us understand that it is okay to talk about those who have disappeared and whom we miss. The imagery-rich language makes the book extra beautiful. Read the entire book announcement “Let the forest live!” by Nora DåsnesIn some children’s books, the adults are just stupid and the children are wise and energetic. For a long time, it looks like this for Nora Dåsnes and: Twelve-year-old Bao has to fight with both the principal, FAU representatives and the municipality to prevent them from building a new car park that will destroy the wild forest outside the school. Bao brings his friends into the fight, and they resort to drastic measures when the factual arguments do not work. But luckily it won’t be black and white. Not all adults are happy in the environment, and not all children care at all. This is an acutely topical book with a clear political message and an infectious commitment that speaks to children on their way into the teenage years. Read the entire book review “Familien Brattbakk” by Julia Kahrs What do you do if you suspect that your mother is a cannibal? Sam is eleven years, and her mother thinks she is too thin. Now she has to fatten up. But is it only for Sam’s own good? And why has her brother lost an arm, actually? You will be looking for a long time for the kind of disturbing and funny story. This is a wild adventure so well told that you can’t put the book down. Then Julia Kahrs also received the Brage Prize for “Familien Brattbakk”. “The coolest thing from the Viking age” by Martin AasHere is a book that really lives up to its name. Cool and fun! In this cartoon series, which is a mixture of non-fiction and pure fiction, it is full of stories about powerful kings, great battles, challenging journeys – and everyday life in Scandinavia in the years after the attack on Lindisfarne around the year 800. We follow some fictional characters through the book . The author turns to the reader. He informs about what is fact and what is fabrication, and why he has taken the literary steps he has taken. This is a really entertaining replenishment of knowledge, the book becomes a small encyclopedia with index and sources. Great! Reading tips for young people That young people do not read is a truth with modifications. Young people read, but not always young people’s books. Sometimes adult literature can be tempting, other times cartoons can be useful. It was not the intention that our favorites are all about death, even though death is a regular feature in youth literature. Swipe right for the next book tip. “Blücher’s secret” by Alexander LøkenReady for a horror show? Then this one is right up your alley. 14-year-old Kit and her brothers are at the cabin by Drøbaksundet. For years they have been filled with the story of the German warship Blücher, which was sunk there on the night of 9 April 1940. Now mysterious things have started to happen. People are lured into death. Could it be the souls of the drowned soldiers that are stirring? Alexander Løken tours well-used grocer elements in his own way. It becomes all the more eerie when the story is locally rooted in the Oslofjord. “Blücher’s secret” is a nerve-wracking and well-structured suspense novel, so visual that it could easily have been made into a movie. “Dei dödsdömde” by Aina Basso and Kristian Krohg-Sørensen (ill.) Norway has a bloody history. There are not a few who have been executed in a terrible way. Not only women thought to be witches: Thieves, murderers and rapists alike have had to pay with their lives over the centuries. The last time the death penalty was used in Norway was during the treason settlement after the Second World War. We learn this and more in Aina Basso’s gruesome and gripping book. Basso, who is a historian, has previously written both fiction and fact about the witch trials. This is a really good history book that also reflects on the use of the death penalty today.«Rigel – the echo of injustice» by Ida LarmoDo you know the tragedy when 2572 people died at sea in Nordland during the war? Not? M/S “Rigel” and the catastrophic sinking on 27 November 1944 is the subject of Ida Larmo’s new non-fiction book. She tells the story through two survivors: the Soviet prisoner of war Julian Dresjkin and the Norwegian detainee Asbjørn Schultz, the only Norwegian who survived. The event was horrific – and she is terribly told. Larmo’s drawings lift and invite this book to something important, something that wants and should remain standing. Lenge. Read the whole book announcement Hello and welcome! I am a literary critic for news, and I write about books for both children and adults. Other good children’s books I have read recently are “Jakob and Neikob and the Time Machine” by Kari Stai or “The Heir” by Anne Gunn Halvorsen and Randi Fuglehaug. Tips for even more good children’s books can be found here. We are updating all our reading tips in this case.
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Good children’s and youth books under the tree – Reviews and recommendations
