Books from Finland - A literary journal of writing from and about Finland.

Onni-poika saa uuden ystävän
[Onni makes a new friend]
Kuvitus [Ill. by]: Sanna Pelliccioni
Helsinki: Minerva, 2012. 32 pp.
ISBN 978-952-492-674-4
€15.90, hardback

The series about a boy named Onni has become a firm favourite among preschool-aged children. Even small children’s picture books are alert to real-life changes in society; in this book – the seventh in the series – Onni gets a new neighbour: a little boy named Aram and Onni quickly become firm friends, even though they do not speak the same language at first. Their friendship across cultural barriers is explained in a straightforward manner that children can grasp. It says something about the introversion of Finnish society and about cultural differences that the friendship is initiated by Aram, who brings some rice pudding made by his mother as a treat for his new neighbours. Pelliccioni’s round-headed figures, characteristic of her style, are suitably simple. She manages to convey fine nuances in their expressions and body language.
Translated by Ruth Urbom