Pasi Pitkänen

Ahlbäck Agency authors nominated for Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award!

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We are delighted to announce, that four of Ahlback Agency’s authors and illustrators have been nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2026, the world’s largest children’s and young people’s book award! 263 candidates, illustrators and authors, storytellers and reading promoters, from 74 different countries are nominated for the award. The laureate will be announced on April 14th 2026.

The award was created in 2002, and the prize is worth SEK 5 million. It is awarded annually to a person or organization for their outstanding contribution to children’s and young adult literature. The award criteria are, among other things, the high quality of the works and the production, which has been carried out in the spirit of Astrid Lindgren.

From Ahlbäck Agency, the nominees are:

TUUTIKKI TOLONEN, writer of the Monster Nanny and Agnes series plus the Secret Ones picture book and Marsu and the Art of Floating Like a Water Lily!

SIRI KOLU, writer of the Twin World series!

PASI PITKÄNEN, illustrator of the Monster Nanny and Benjamin Bateman series!

SANNA PELLICCIONI, illustrator of the Mini Sciense series!

Congratulations to all of the wonderful nominees!

About author


Pasi Pitkänen

Pasi Pitkänen has become known for his richly detailed illustrative work on several children’s books such as the extremely popular Monster Nanny trilogy by Tuutikki Tolonen. He has also worked at Rovio Entertainment as an illustrator, character designer, and graphic designer. Pitkänen is the illustrator of the popular Kepler62 series and the author of two Children's titles Monster Tournament and The Island of Lost Animals.

Among Pitkänen’s hobbies are quantum physics, people-watching, B-movies, insects and baking.

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About author


Sanna Pelliccioni

Sanna Pelliccioni is a Finnish illustrator, graphic designer and children’s author living in Helsinki with her Finnish-Italian family. An awarded illustrator, Pelliccioni has been e.g. honoured with being the only Finn named on the IBBY honour list 2022. Pelliccioni utilizes many different techniques in her illustrations, some of her favourites are collage and mixed techniques. She studied Arts and Illustration in Bologna and Macerata, Italy, and Graphic Design at the Pekka Halonen Institute in Finland.

She loves illustrating picture books and poems and making graphic design for book covers and her own books. She also writes for children and young people and concerning the themes of books she’s especially interested in equality, indigenous people, myths and taboos, forest and nature. Pelliccioni is mostly known for her Onni-poika picture book series which started in 2007 and contains 15 books so far.

​Pelliccioni collaborates with authors writing for children and young people and works with many Finnish editors. Some of her books have been translated to Chinese, Korean, Arabic, English and Swedish, Turkish and Estonian.

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About author


Siri Kolu

Siri Kolu (born July 18, 1972) is a writer, performance dramaturg, director, and theater teacher. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Theatre Arts and Bachelor of Arts degree as Drama Instructor (BA). Prior to her theater studies, she pursued literature and theater studies at the University of Helsinki.

With her funny and original adventure Me and the Robberssons Kolu won the children’s novel and film script competition in the fall of 2009. The book was published in April 2010, and won the Finlandia Prize in Children’s & YA literature. The film adaptation hit theaters in the fall of 2014. Me and the Robberssons has been translated into over 20 languages.

Me and the Robbersons has also won the Silver Slate Pencil Award in the Netherlands and has been listed twice for the The English Pen Award. She has also been honored with the Laivakello Prize by the Finnish Institute for Children’s Literature, Topelius Prize and Kaarina Helakisa Literary Prize.

Photo credit: Sabina Bqain

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About author


Tuutikki Tolonen

Tuutikki Tolonen is the author of several acclaimed children’s books, plays and academic articles. She teaches creative writing and has worked as an editor and reporter at Vinski, a Finnish literary magazine for children. For Monster Nanny she received the Arvid Lydecken award.  Her inspiration for the Monster Nanny trilogy sparked during a family breakfast. “My son Leo, then six, said: ‘I heard on the radio yesterday that all moms have to go on vacation and monsters will take their places,” she says.

Her other bestselling series is the Agnes-series, of which the first book "Agnes and the Garden of Dreams" was in 2021 nominated for the Arvid Lydecken Award, received an honorable mention for the Runeberg Junior Award, and won the Luku Varkaus Award. Tolonen tells that the inspiration for Agnes comes for her interest for weird and inexpicable tales, ghost stories and mysteries: "I wanted to write a book my daughter Aili, then nine, would like to read - not too long, not too scary, but very curious."

Tuutikki is nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2026.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

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Chinese rights renewed for MONSTER NANNY TRILOGY by Tuutikki Tolonen and Pasi Pitkänen!

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We’re happy to let you know that Beijing Children and Juvenile Publishing House has renewed the Chinese rights for the MONSTER NANNY trilogy, the award-winning and internationally bestselling middle-grade title written by Tuutikki Tolonen and illustrated by Pasi Pitkänen! The deal was closed by Elina Ahlbäck at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency in collaboration with Clare Chi at Grayhawk Agency.

In MONSTER NANNY, the three children of the Hellman family – Halley, Koby, and Mimi – are left at home to be taken care of by a nanny, but their nanny turns out to be, well, a monster named Grah who doesn’t talk and is mesmerized by the family’s TV. As other children in their neighborhood have been left in the care of similar monsters, the Hellman children try to find out more about the monsters and why they have appeared in human homes in the first place.

MONSTER NANNY trilogy has been an international success story: the rights to the trilogy have been sold to 37 countries and a feature film based on the series is in development by Scott Free Productions!

Download materials for MONSTER NANNY here!

Monster Nanny

Tuutikki Tolonen, illustrated by Pasi Pitkänen

Mary Poppins meets Where the Wild Things Are in this prize-winning series.

The Hellman children must make do with a nanny while their mother is away at a spa. The only problem? Their nanny is a monster.

Grah is hairy, dusty, and doesn’t talk. When the siblings discover that other neighborhood kids have been left with similar creatures, they start to wonder where the monsters came from. With the parents away, the kids work together (between bickering) to figure out the mystery of the monsters.

Tolonen seamlessly intertwines contemporary life with a world full of strange creatures. Monster Nanny is at once a refreshing change of pace and a return to timeless adventure.

MONSTER NANNY
MÖRKÖVAHTI
Tammi, 2015, 303 pp.

MONSTER ROUTE
MÖRKÖREITTI
Tammi, 2016, 300 pp.

MONSTER MESSAGE
MÖRKÖVIESTI
Tammi, 2020, 300 pp.

READING MATERIALS
English edition (Book #1)
English sample and synopsis (Books #2 and #3)
German editions (Books #2 and #3)
French editions (Books #2 and #3)
Finnish editions (all books)

RIGHTS SOLD:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
AUSTRALIA: Allen & Unwin
ALBANIA: Westprint
BOSNIA: Šahinpašić
BRAZIL: DarkSide Books
BULGARIA: Robertino
CHINA: Beijing Children’s Publishing House
CROATIA: Znanje
CZECHIA: Portál
DENMARK: Turbine
ESTONIA: Tiritamm
FRANCE: Editions Robert Laffont
GERMANY: Carl Hanser Verlag
GREECE: Patakis
HUNGARY: Tessloff Babilon
ITALY: Salani/Mauri Spagnol
JAPAN: Sekaibunka
KOREA: Seosawon
LATVIA: Zvaigzne
LITHUANIA: Nieko Rimto
NETHERLANDS: (print) Luitingh-Sijthoff
NETHERLANDS: (audio) Saga Egmont
NEW ZEALAND: Allen & Unwin
NORWAY: Gyldendal Norsk
OCEANIA: Allen & Unwin
POLAND: Vesper
PORTUGAL: Asa Editiones/Leya
ROMANIA: Univers
RUSSIA: Rosman
SERBIA: Laguna
SLOVAKIA: Arkus
SLOVENIA: Mladinska knjiga
SPAIN (Spanish): La Galera
SPAIN (Catalan): La Galera
SWEDEN: Rabén & Sjögren
TURKEY: SEV Redhouse Kidz
UKRAINE: School Publishing House
VIETNAM: Nha Nam
WORLD ENGLISH: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
FILM RIGHTS: Scott Free Productions

About author


Pasi Pitkänen

Pasi Pitkänen has become known for his richly detailed illustrative work on several children’s books such as the extremely popular Monster Nanny trilogy by Tuutikki Tolonen. He has also worked at Rovio Entertainment as an illustrator, character designer, and graphic designer. Pitkänen is the illustrator of the popular Kepler62 series and the author of two Children's titles Monster Tournament and The Island of Lost Animals.

Among Pitkänen’s hobbies are quantum physics, people-watching, B-movies, insects and baking.

Read more Author's page

About author


Tuutikki Tolonen

Tuutikki Tolonen is the author of several acclaimed children’s books, plays and academic articles. She teaches creative writing and has worked as an editor and reporter at Vinski, a Finnish literary magazine for children. For Monster Nanny she received the Arvid Lydecken award.  Her inspiration for the Monster Nanny trilogy sparked during a family breakfast. “My son Leo, then six, said: ‘I heard on the radio yesterday that all moms have to go on vacation and monsters will take their places,” she says.

Her other bestselling series is the Agnes-series, of which the first book "Agnes and the Garden of Dreams" was in 2021 nominated for the Arvid Lydecken Award, received an honorable mention for the Runeberg Junior Award, and won the Luku Varkaus Award. Tolonen tells that the inspiration for Agnes comes for her interest for weird and inexpicable tales, ghost stories and mysteries: "I wanted to write a book my daughter Aili, then nine, would like to read - not too long, not too scary, but very curious."

Tuutikki is nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2026.

Photo credit: Otto Virtanen

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Three new Children’s deals to Denmark!

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We are thrilled to announce three new deals to Denmark for our children’s authors!

The Danish publishing house Bogoo acquired the Danish rights for DAD MAN AND THE EVIL LITTLE BROTHER, the second title in the bestselling DAD MAN middle grade series by Arttu Unkari and Kai Vaalio. This series is a huge bestseller in Finland, with over 200,000 copies sold! The German rights have been sold in a two-book deal to Mixtvision, who will publish both of the books in February

Bogoo also acquired the Danish rights to BENJAMIN BATEMAN AND THE WORST DAY OF SCHOOL, the third volume in the BENJAMIN BATEMAN series by Hannele Lampela and Pasi Pitkänen. Fourth book in the series will be published this summer!

And that’s not all. In addition to these two titles, Bogoo also acquired the rights to the third title in PET AGENTS series by Sami & Riina Kaarla, PET AGENTS 3: CHARGING AHEAD. 

The deals were closed by Martti Berner.

Request materials for the DAD MAN series here!

Request materials for the BENJAMIN BATEMAN series here!

Request materials for the PET AGENTS series here!

 

The Dad Man series:
Arttu Unkari, illustrated by Kai Vaalio

#1 Dad Man and the Exploding Poop
#2 Dad Man and the Evil Little Brother
#3 Dad Man and the Horrible Hypnosis
#4 Dad Man and the Impossible Time Warp
#5 Dad Man and the Doppelgänger Disaster

The quirkiest cop in town! The Dad Man Series offers fast-paced adventures and humour for all ages – especially lower middle grade.

✓  over 200,000 copies sold in Finland!

✓  German and Danish rights sold! (Books 1-2)

✓  For fans of David Walliams and Captain Underpants

✓  A perfect “Gateway series to literature” for reluctant readers

✓  Books in the series have been nominated for the Storytel awards 2020, 2021, and 2022 (Best children’s audiobook), Best Newcomer of the Year 2020, and the Runeberg Prize 2023!

✓  Bold and fresh 4-colour comic-book style artwork that add visual jokes to the narration

✓  5 books available and more to come, work as standalones and can be read in any order!

Dad Man is a dad, and a policeman – but he also has a superpower! Too bad his superpower is one shared by almost all dads – an unwavering belief in himself and his own abilities. Dad Man truly believes he knows everything and can do anything, but as it goes with most dads, the reality is quite different. And it follows that Dad Man’s nine-year-old daughter Oona needs to solve all of the issues herself.

The Benjamin Bateman series:
Hannele Lampela, illustrated by Pasi Pitkänen

#1 Benjamin Bateman – Super Embarrassed Superhero
#2 Benjamin Bateman and The Curse of the Mind-popping Pranks
#3 Benjamin Bateman and The Worst Day of School

What if your superhero costume looked like a butterfly and your only superpowers would be having a good heart and a lively imagination? Welcome to the embarrassing life of Benjamin Bateman!

✓ 3 books available and more to come, fourth to be published in summer 2025!

✓  Film in development!

✓  Nominee for the Arvid Lydecken Award 2023

✓  Rights sold to Denmark!

The wholly hilarious and thrilling adventures of a super embarrassing superhero for middle-graders!

Benjamin Bateman is stunned when he finds out that he is part of a family of superheroes. Who would’ve believed that about poor Benjamin?

Benjamin’s superhero costume is quite embarrassing though – a butterfly. And his superpower is even more mortifying – having a good heart and great imagination! But when Benjamin must battle the terrifying Mortem, his imagination will come in handy.

 

PET AGENTS series:
Riina Kaarla, Sami Kaarla & Anders Vacklin

KATI-E is an independent girl who loves animals just as much as electronics and coding. TI-BOT is the flying robot Kati-e built. Together they are the PET AGENTS, and their mission is to solve pet problems!

✓ A delightfully illustrated series for robot fans and animal lovers alike!
✓ Over 60,000 copies sold in Finland
✓ Series already sold in 8 territories!
✓ 10 books published, and more to come!

The Pet Agents series is a delightful series about friendship and pet care, filled with adventures. Each book – which can be read in any order – features new characters, locations, and pets from miniature pigs to virtual dinosaurs. Engaging, full of humour, and dealing with animal issues in a child friendly way, the series has charmed readers in Finland and internationally.

Available titles:
#1: New Pets & New Friends!
#2: Tracking a Thief
#3: Charging Ahead
#4: Lost in the Game
#5: In Deep Water
#6: Snowed In
#7: Wild City
#8: Mission on the Moon
#9: Masters of the Jungle
#10: The Hobby Horse Whisperer

PRAISE:

Children’s books about animals often train their readers to treat animals with respect. In the Pet Agents series, children interested in pets and other domestic animals also learn about their care and behaviour. The strength of the Pet Agents series lies in (…) its event-rich storytelling and abundant, colourful illustrations. The children in the series are active, energetic and have a wide network of friends.
– Lastenkirjahylly blog, Finland

Publication info the DAD MAN series: 

Rights Sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.), DENMARK: Bogoo (books 1-2), GERMANY: Mixtvision (books 1-2)

Reading Material:
English synopses, Series presentation, Finnish pdf

Publication info the BENJAMIN BATEMAN series: 

Rights Sold:
FINLAND: Otava (orig.), DENMARK: Bogoo (books 1-3)

Reading Material:
English synopses (books 1-3), English sample (book 1), Finnish editions

Publication info the PET AGENTS series: 

Rights Sold:
FINLAND: Tammi (orig.)
CZECHIA: Grada (books 1-4, 6)
DENMARK: Bogoo (books 1-3)
ESTONIA: Rahva Raamat (books 1-2, 4)
POLAND: Media Rodzina (books 1-4, 6)
RUSSIA: Eksmo (books 1-4, 6)
SLOVAKIA: IKAR (books 1-2, 4)
UKRAINE: Ridna Mova (books 1-2, 4)

Reading Material:
English synopses, Series presentation, Finnish text

About author


Arttu Unkari

Arttu Unkari is a teacher from Helsinki and a Master of Education (University of Helsinki, 2015) who majored in ethics and philosophy.  He combines his educational background and experience as a teacher in his books – his stories are anarchist and zany, but at the same time the humour often revolves around profound and intriguing concepts such as honesty, obedience, and morality in ways that speak to children in their own language. His books are enjoyed by adults as well because they contain layers that open up differently to readers of all ages. This is one of the reasons Dad Man is such a great series for the whole family.

As an author Unkari is a Runeberg prize nominee 2023 for the third instalment of the Dad Man series: Dad Man and the Horrible Hypnosis (Isämies ja hyytävä hypnoosi, Otava 2022). The Runeberg Prize is a literary prize awarded by the newspaper Uusimaa, the City of Porvoo, the Finnish Writers' Union, the Finnish Critics' Association and the Finland’s-Swedish Writer’s Association. The prize was established in 1986 and it is awarded annually in Porvoo on 5th February, the day when Finland celebrates their national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg.  All of his previous books (Dad Man and the Exploding poop, Dad Man and the Evil Little Brother, Dad Man and the Horrible Hypnosis and Dad Man and the Impossible Time Warp) have been nominated for best children’s audiobook in the 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 Finnish Storytel awards. He’s also participated in making a Finnish language schoolbook (Loikka 3, Otava 2022).

Unkari is a sought after inspirational speaker in his home country. He’s visited schools all over Finland advocating for the importance of reading.

Photo credit Jonne Räsänen / Otava 2019

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About author


Hannele Lampela

Hannele Lampela's lovable works have been praised above all for their rich humor and ability to truly show the world from a child's perspective. She has the ability to enchant her readers, and that is why both children and adults love her stories. Lampela's works have been dramatized for example by the Finnish National Theater, Kuopio City Theater and YLE's radio plays. She has been awarded the prestigious Kaarina Helakisa Prize for her work and she has been nominated for Runeberg Junior award in 2019 and for Storytel Award, and Arvid Lydecken Award five times, most recently in 2025.

In addition to her fictional works, Lampela has written and created  a world of stories for the next national ABC book of Finnish schools. First graders across the country will learn to read through Hannele’s texts. Lampela lives in a small wooden house in the middle of apple trees with her family, and spends her days not only writing, but also pampering herself and others on a regular basis.

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About author


Kai Vaalio

Kai Vaalio (b. 1986) is an illustrator, comic artist, and a bit of a cosmopolitan as well. He’s written and illustrated underground comic books for adults about his travels in South-East Asia and Latin America — the latter won Mondo magazine’s Travel book of the year award back in 2014. Recently he’s ventured into the world of illustrating children’s books mainly with Arttu Unkari’s Dad Man Series. Together they’ve made several books about this goofy detective and his clever little posse. The Dad Man Series has received Storytel Awards and Runeberg Junior 2023 award nominations. Vaalio’s been on and off in the graphic industry since 2005 when he graduated as a graphic designer from Lahti College of Arts and Crafts. In 2018 he got his bachelor’s degree from Lahti University of Applied Science.

Photo credit: Jonne Räsänen / Otava

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About author


Pasi Pitkänen

Pasi Pitkänen has become known for his richly detailed illustrative work on several children’s books such as the extremely popular Monster Nanny trilogy by Tuutikki Tolonen. He has also worked at Rovio Entertainment as an illustrator, character designer, and graphic designer. Pitkänen is the illustrator of the popular Kepler62 series and the author of two Children's titles Monster Tournament and The Island of Lost Animals.

Among Pitkänen’s hobbies are quantum physics, people-watching, B-movies, insects and baking.

Read more Author's page