March 2012

Bestselling Finnish children’s books sold to Korea, Lithuania, Russia and Romania

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Kristiina Louhi’s Tommy books will be translated into Korean. The Korean publisher Sewon Books acquired the rights to this classic picture book series in a recent deal, making Korean already the sixth language into which Tommy books have been translated.

The Lithuanian children’s book publisher Nieko Rimto has bought the rights to the first two books in Tiina Nopola’s Siri series: Siri and Her New Friends and Siri and the Upstairs Neighbour. The deal also includes Time’s Up, Ricky Rapper, the first book in the bestselling Ricky Rapper series by Tiina and Sinikka Nopola.

Other recent children’s book deals include Hannele Huovi’s Finlandia Prize-nominated The Giant Girl and Her Tiny Friend to Text Publishers in Russia and Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award nominee Tove Appelgren’s Vesta-Linnea and the Velvet -Nosed Puppy to Univers Publishing House in Romania.

Sample translations and reading copies available, please contact the agency!

About author


Hannele Huovi

Hannele Huovi (born 1949) is an acclaimed Finnish author who wrote her first children’s radio play while studying for her university degree. In addition to being known as a versatile creator of children’s and juvenile literature, she also writes poetry and prose for adults.

Huovi has received several awards and nominations for her work; among these is the Topelius Prize for the best Finnish youth novel in 2002 (for The Feather Chain), a Finlandia Junior nomination in 2011 (for The Giant Girl and her Tiny Friend), and a nomination for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2004, 2006 and 2008.

During her career Hannele Huovi has collaborated with a variety of illustrators and artists, namely with Kristiina Louhi (Jättityttö ja Pirhonen) and Jukka Lemmetty (Urpo ja Turpo). Hannele Huovi is also an accomplished translator into the Finnish language, having translated more than 50 children’s books.

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About author


Kristiina Louhi

Kristiina Louhi is an artist and an awarded graphic designer, illustrator and author. She has illustrated dozens of children’s books over the years including illustrations for the texts by Hannele Huovi, Hannu Mäkelä, Leena Laulajainen, Katri Tapola and Riitta Jalonen.

Kristiina Louhi’s Aino series has been published since 1984 and Tomppa series since 1993. Books illustrated by Kristiina Louhi have been published in over ten languages all around the world.

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