Loukko by 
Original title: Tonttu
Author: Sanna Isto
Illustrator: Silja-Maria Wihersaari
Published: 2024
Publisher: Tammi
Genre: Chapter Books (6-9 Years)
Pages: 128
Reading material:
Finnish Edition
A warm-hearted story about a boy named Eeli and a mysterious red beanie.
✓ A heartwarming Christmas tale for the whole family with strong Nordic atmosphere
✓ For the fans of Astrid Lindgren
✓ The book was nominated for Lasten LukuVarkaus Children‘s Literature prize 2025!
✓ Sanna Isto is a two-time winner of the Arvid Lydecken award (2012 & 2017) and has been nominated twice for the Finlandia Prize (2017 & 2023), Topelius Prize and Young Aleksis Award in (2019 & 2024)
Eeli’s winter starts out promising as snow billows and the weather is near perfection for sledding. But how can one have fun when there is always someone bothering or bullying you? To Eeli’s dismay, Väinö enjoys sledding on the same slope as Eeli, leaving Eeli with no choice but to find something else to do. He can’t tell his mother about it, as his mother is still recuperating from an operation and she’s not to be worried. On top of everything, Eeli’s older sister Helmi is acting out and snappy.
Eeli´s life changes when he finds an ordinary looking red beanie in the snow and when it turns out that it is not an ordinary beanie after all...
“Silja-Maria Wihersaari’s illustrations capture a sense of familiarity in a restrained and minimalist way, free of Christmas clichés or other embellishments. Her drawing line is soft and expressive. A bluish-grey tone is used as an accent, beautifully highlighting the deep red of the hat. This style is consistently reflected throughout all the images in the book.”
– Kuvittaja magazine, Leena Virtanen
Download reading materials 
