The Fox and Silence

Posted on 15.02.2023

Once upon a time there was a fox the colour of a copper pot. He had very long and sensitive ears. Loud noises keep hurting the fox’s ears. It had to dig deeper and deeper into his den to get to rest his ears. Where does the fox find silence? How would the other creatures in the forest understand that the silence is like a hammock, where one can safely fall asleep?

This beautiful story discusses sensibility and the need for silence. The touching text by award-winning poet and children’s author Reetta Niemelä is paired with charming illustrations by textile artist Eri Shimatsuka. The Fox and Silence is Eri’s debut children’s book.

“The book plays in an interactive way with the reader. The narrator speaks directly with the reader and comments on the mistakes of their narration. The reader is also invited to try using their little fingers as earplugs and to write to the fox about a place where one can find silence. [–] The smooth surfaces, twisting burrows of the animals and hefty tree trunks radiate the peace of a forest.”
Marianna Lammi in Kuvittaja Magazine

Black Moon Lighthouse

Posted on 14.02.2023

Black Moon Lighthouse continues the charming magical adventure of Saimi and her friends of the secret folk!

Book 1 in the series won the Arvid Lydecken Prize 2022
Nominated for the Finlandia Children’s and YA Prize 2022
Illustrator Katri Kirkkopelto was nominated for the Finlandia Prize several times (2005, 2016, 2020) and is the winner of the Kylli Koski Prize 2009
Author and poet Reetta Niemelä won the The Kaarina Helakisa Prize in 2011 and has so far been nominated for the Finlandia Prize three times

Something truly mysterious is happening in Bluehill! A group called “Bedtime’s Ugliest Fears Forgotten: Orcs Out at Night” aka B.U.F.F.O.O.N, which persecutes the secret folk, is circling the streets. Indeed, it seems that some folk have gone missing already! Saimi and her friends try to find out what it’s all about, but that is hard to do when adults are disturbing them. And if that wasn’t enough, a bunch of ghosts decide to celebrate the Kekri festival. Eventually the worst fears of Saimi and her friends come true: one of them disappears!

A dangerous operation begins, illuminated by the silver-coloured heartfires of dragons shining deep from within the ground. Is it possible that the ancient lighthouse would once more shine the beacons of the secret folk?

Reetta Niemelä

Posted on 09.02.202314.09.2023

Reetta Niemelä is an award-winning children’s author. She has written poetry collections, picture books, nonfiction, study material and many beloved book series for children. For her work, she’s been awarded e.g. Kaarina Helakisa Award and for her nonfiction the Tietopöllö award. Niemelä’s fantasy novel Black Moon Inn, illustrated by Katri Kirkkopelto, won the Arvid Lydecken Award, was nominated for Finlandia Junior and was selected as the audience favourite.

Topics related to nature and especially animals are recurring themes in Niemelä’s work. She wants to focus on how literature and language can give a voice to the silent ones.

Black Moon Inn

Posted on 09.02.202309.02.2023

Black Moon Inn starts a new magical middle-grade series irresistibly blending mythology and environmental protection!

Winner of the Arvid Lydecken Prize 2022
Nominated for the Finlandia Prize 2022 – Audience favourite!
Illustrator Katri Kirkkopelto was nominated for the Finlandia Prize several times (2005, 2016, 2020) and is the winner of the Kylli Koski Prize 2009
Author and poet Reetta Niemelä won the The Kaarina Helakisa Prize in 2011 and has so far been nominated for the Finlandia Prize three times!

The animal-loving Saimi Salaper and her veterinarian father move to the city of Bluehill in order to set up a hospital for wild animals there. By coincidence, they buy an old inn, where one can hear weird noises behind closed doors, see rare butterflies fly past on the yard, and, at the rooftop, there seems to be… a perch for dragons.

Little by little, the house reveals its secrets to Saimi, and soon the Black Moon Inn is open for creatures of the secret folk who seek refuge there: the trolls, the fairies, and many more. But there’s a threat lurking just behind a corner, and the Inn takes both Saimi and the reader on an exciting adventure into the world of the secret folk.