Riitta Jalonen
Riitta Jalonen (born 1954) has been a full-time author since 1990, but began her writing career much earlier as a newspaper journalist. Her first novel Enkeliyöt (The Nights of the Angels, 1990) won the Tammi Teenage Literature Award and has also been published in Scandinavia and in Germany.
She has since published eight further novels, one children’s storybook and the trilogy of highly-acclaimed illustrated children’s books with the illustrator Kristiina Louhi: Tyttö ja naakkapuu (The Girl and the Jackdaw Tree, theWinner of the Finlandia Junior Award, the most prestigious Children’s Book Award in Finland) and Minä, äiti ja tunturihärkki (Tundra Mouse Mountain) and Revontulilumi (Northern Lights on Snow).
Riitta Jalonen’s successful collaboration with Kristiina Louhi has also gained them recognition outside the Finnish borders with several translations. Their newest book, Aatos ja Sofia (Aidan and Sophie) will be published in China in 2011.
It has been said that Riitta Jalonen’s writing “creates a strong feeling in its reader, a sense of emotion, like having been somewhere, having experienced something entirely new. In a way a clear sense of feeling is imprinted in the mind of the reader. And often this grows into bittersweet optimism and belief in the light”.
Awards:
- Hämeenlinna City Culture Award 2009 for her contribution to Children’s literature (Tyttö ja naakkapuu Trilogy)
- Runeberg Award in 2006 for The Imaginary Man (Kuvittele itsellesi mies)
- Junior Finlandia Award in 2004 for The Girl and the Jackdaw Tree (Tyttö ja naakkapuu)
- Häme Art Council’s Artist of the Year Award 1999
- Jugend + Literatur -magazine’s Die Eule des Monats, in December 1993 (Germany)
- Häme Union District Award 1992
- Topelius Award in 1991 for Enkeliyöt
- Tammi Teenage Fiction Award in 1990 for Enkeliyöt
Children´s illustrated books
Written by Riitta Jalonen | Illustrated by Kristiina Louhi
Aidan and Frostylocks
The sequel to the much-loved Aidan and Sophie is a bright, cheery story about Aidan and Sophie’s shared winter moments.
The snow crunches with every footfall. The braids poking out from under Sophie’s wool cap are silver with frost. Aidan and Sophie light candles in the snow and climb up on a flat stone to gaze at them. The illuminated ring glows against the whiteness with a soft light.
”The way we see those candles is the way the treetops see us,” Aidan says, sliding his snow-crusted mitten into Sophie’s. Something new quivers beneath his coat. And Aidan knows what it is: his heart. Then Sophie invites Aidan over, and his feet suddenly feel shy and heavy. He has to lift them over the threshold one by one. What will things be like inside Sophie’s home?
A sensitive picture book about Aidan and Sophie’s shimmering, magical winter moments by a prize-winning duo. Aidan finds stories everywhere he looks, and gets Sophie to see the world in a new way, too. Adventures are always better together.
Written by Riitta Jalonen | Illustrated by Kristiina Louhi
Aidan and Sophie
Rights sold: Chinese (Simplified)
An enchanting picture book from the beloved and award-winning team Riitta Jalonen and Kristiina Louhi!
Aidan and Sophie are 8- and 9-year-old friends. This book is a sweet story of summer, closeness, games, adventures – and of first love, from a boy’s perspective. Through small, delicate details Riitta Jalonen communicates the strong emotions of childhood. Kristiina Louhi’s warm and inventive illustrations bring the magical realm of childhood handy.
”Sophie bounces up and down like she was on a trampoline. Her patent leather shoes are not shiny at all anymore, and her white socks are stained.
- Those are dangerous, Aidan says and points at the high walls that flow around them.
- I know we’re not allowed to go there, Sophie replies, and shakes her hair so that the bobble finally falls of. Aidan picks up the wooden, round thing.
- Can I take this? – Sure. I have plenty of those at home. Aidan slips the gift into his pocket. He can hide it in his desk drawer at home.”
Praises:
“Jalonen describes the child’s private experi- ences with respect. Louhi’s clear, beautiful illustrations draw the reader to the text.” – Helsingin Sanomat
Girl under the Jackdaw Tree trilogy
Written by Riitta Jalonen | Illustrated by Kristiina Louhi
Northern Lights on Snow
Rights sold: Chinese (Simplified), French, Swedish (Finland)
The little girl is skiing in the middle of a snowy forest until she reaches a lake. There she remembers an earlier trip to the lake, when she was very little. She had been ice-skating with both her parents. With that beautiful memory on her mind, the little girl can see many enchanting things in the forest. The treetops seem to be painting the sky with the colours of the Northern Lights.
Praises:
“The illustrations, drawing inspiration from the 1960s, are in perfect harmony with each other. This is one of the most inspiring children’s books I’ve ever read.”
– Vantaan Lauri
Written by Riitta Jalonen | Illustrated by Kristiina Louhi
Tundra Mouse Mountain
Rights sold: English (UK), Chinese (Simplified), French, Bangla, Swedish (Finland)
The little girl and her mother embark on an epic journey to the North Sea. The drive is long, the skies are high and the North Sea seems endless. This is a beautiful reflection of time spent together and the close bond between a parent and a child.
Written by Riitta Jalonen | Illustrated by Kristiina Louhi
Girl Under the Jackdaw Tree
Rights sold: Chinese (Simplified), Korean, German, French, Polish, Lithuanian, Swedish (Finland), Japanese, Estonian
Little girl’s thoughts are brought to life in these three wonderful books with an ethereal atmosphere and mesmerising illustrations.
A story describing a turning point in a little girl’s life caused by her father’s death. In Kristiina Louhi’s illustrations the girl’s memories fly. They glow with the same intensity as Riitta Jalonen’s storyline – revealing a child’s magic world in which joy and sadness intermingle.
Winner of the 2004 Finlandia Junior Award!
Fiction
Written by Riitta Jalonen
Good Night, Irma Noora
The box is full of photographs of strangers. While looking at them, Noora’s foster mother Rebekka has seen a speck of light: something that, if the people seeking her assistance head towards, will restore balance to their lives. In one of the sessions many years ago, it was Noora’s confirmation photograph that Aunt Rebekka examined. But not even her protective gaze has been able to prevent all misfortune.
When Aunt Rebekka dies unexpectedly, the traumas of youth begin to tumble into Noora’s carefully guarded territory. Everything changes. Noora walks away from her ruined marriage and returns to her childhood home, where each object is loaded with a meaning given by Rebekka. In her aunt’s kingdom, Noora feels safe, but is the path to becoming a seer indicated by Rebekka right for her after all? Or would it be most important to be seen herself?
Praises:
“Using Jalonen’s way of writing compact paragraphs, you can fit several novels into 150 pages.” – Suomen Kuvalehti
Written by Riitta Jalonen
The Imaginary Man
Riitta Jalonen has created an unusual relationship triangle that concentrates on the relationship which forms between the wife and her husband’s lover. The stories of these two women intermingle in an almost magical way when they finally meet. It is almost like two halves making a whole.
The collision both completes each of them while also threatens to destroy everything they have.
Praises:
“A beautifully cut diamond. Strong and silent. Delicate and brave.” – Aamulehti
“Much is left unsaid, even the most important things. But still everything becomes clear.” – Me Naiset
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