Oodi Library has chosen Maria Vilja as the Author of the Year!

We are incredibly happy to share, that Maria Vilja has been selected The Author of the Year by Oodi Helsinki Central Library in Finland! The winner was announced on December 6 at Oodi’s children’s celebration. Maria Vilja’s works, illustrations, and ideas will be showcased in various ways at Oodi Library throughout 2026.

This is what the library jury says about Maria Vilja’s work:

Maria Vilja (b. 1986) is a children’s author and illustrator whose works speak to both children and adults. The texts in Vilja’s books are sensitive and perceptive, and the illustrations are expressive and powerful.
Vilja is known as a portrayer of emotions. The Näkymätön reppu series explores sensitivity. The book series helps children who feel emotions intensely and are easily overwhelmed to understand their feelings, and helps adults recognize a child’s special qualities.
The Only Beautiful Day of the Summer was a nominee for the Finlandia Prize for children’s and young adult literature last year. The same work recently won the Rudolf Koivu illustration prize. This book, depicting a day in a family with children, is full of big emotions. Even adults find grace in it.
Vilja’s works radiate understanding of the human experience. They are true works of art that moved the jury to tears.

DOWNLOAD MATERIALS FOR THE ONLY BEAUTIFUL DAY OF THE SUMMER

A life-affirming picture book about a summer day out including both laughter and tears, love and arguing, sunshine and thunder clouds.

Maria Vilja skillfully depicts the life of a family with children with all its emotions.

The sun and expectations are high when Eila and Aarno finally have a chance to go on a trek outdoors. Huffing and puffing, Mother is packing – something will definitely get forgotten. Then they run to catch the bus – and make it in just the nick of time! But when Aarno starts acting out and the camera gets broken, Mother loses her temper. Eila feels as if the sun has gone out at the very same moment.

Maria Vilja writes and draws about emotions and family relationships in a beautiful, sensitive way. A summer’s day includes both joy and tears, love and arguing, sunshine and thunderclouds. The message of the book is that everyone has a right to experience emotions, both children and adults. The hazy illustrations of the book are as if memories of a bygone summer.