Both The Hat & The Whole Caboodle a White Raven 2024

The annual “The White Ravens” recommendation list was published this week and both Anne Vasko’s The Hat (Hattu) and Laura Ruohonen & Linda Bondestam’s The Whole Caboodle (Konkkaronkka/Konkarongen) were among the selected books from Finland. 

The White Ravens represents a selection of international children’s and youth literature made by the Internationale Jugendbibliothek in Munich, Germany. This year’s The White Ravens edition features more than 200 notable new children’s and young adult books in 44 languages from 62 countries. The books have been chosen by children’s literature experts in the International Youth Library. The focus is on titles that might be of particular interest to an international audience because of their literary and pictorial quality and/or the topics they address.

Here’s what the jury said about The Hat (Hattu):

“The eponymous hat already looms large on the book cover: It is big and bright purple. It has eyes and – wait a minute – eight thin legs? Are the legs part of the hat? Or could other creatures be hiding under the brim? A few pages later, the hat is lifted and the secret revealed: Ants are scurrying around and underneath the purple object. However, they don’t realise it’s a hat, they think it might be a nest; or could it be something to eat? In addition to the ants, beetles come scurrying up, and then butterf lies start fluttering around, too. Suddenly everyone has an opinion about what’s up with the hat and, what’s more, everyone wants it for themselves. So, naturally, arguments are inevitable… Anne Vasko brings her dynamic story to life in expressive and colourful pictures – eyes are her speciality! Blink, blink, peek, peek!”

Here’s what the jury said about The Whole Caboodle (Konkkaronkka/Konkarongen)

“‘At last!’ readers will want to shout. At last, Laura Ruohonen, one of the best-known Finnish children’s poets, and Linda Bondestam, one of Finland’s most famous illustrators, have teamed up to create a picture book together. It tells the story of a motley group of travellers: the whole shebang, aka »Konkkaronkka«. After passing through a fairytale portal, the group and their guide (complete with umbrella) end up in some kind of wonderland: a green jungle, sharp cliffs, bubbling volcanoes, and deserts where the vultures are already lurking. A holiday? Tsk. An adventure! The book’s theme and style (including the cut-outs) clearly refer back to Tove Jansson’s classic »Hur gick det sen« (What happened next, 1952), in which Moomin and his friends drift through a psychedelically colourful world. Just as bright and effervescent is this reminiscence by Laura Ruohonen and Linda Bondestam – fantastically imaginative in both text and images.”

 

 

A presentation of a varied selection of The White Ravens 2024 books will be at the Frankfurt Book Fair. All The White Ravens 2024 books will be on display at the International Youth Library’s stand at the 2025 Bologna Children’s Book Fair. The full catalogue can be viewed on the White Ravens website here.

Both The Whole Caboodle and The Hat will be on display at our stand (Hall 4.1 Stand B19) at the Frankfurt Book Fair.  

Our warmest congratulations to the creators for this recognition!