24 April 2025

The exhibition ‘The Happiest Forest in the World’ celebrates Finnish picture books in Seoul

The recently opened ‘The Happiest Forest in the World’ exhibition at the National Library for Children and Young Adults in Seoul, South Korea presents a wide variety of Finnish picture books including titles represented by Rights & Brands.

The ongoing exhibition invites visitors to step inside a Finnish forest in the middle of Seoul as it highlights Finnish children’s literature, showcasing a variety of children’s picture books and celebrates the 80th anniversary of Tove Jansson’s Moomin stories. The exhibition is organized by the National Library of Children and Young Adults & Embassy of Finland in Seoul. It runs until the end of August 2025.

From cherished gems to rising stars in Finnish children’s literature

‘The Happiest Forest in the World’ exhibition includes works by several creators represented by Rights & Brands such as Tove Jansson, Mauri Kunnas, Ninka Reittu, Marika Maijala, Liisa Kallio and Oili Tanninen whose books have been published in Korean.

Moomin titles featured in the exhibition include the Moomin colour comics by Tove Jansson, the beautifully illustrated picture book series created by Bonnier Carlsen and the classic photographic Moomin adventure An Unwanted Guest, a picture book by Tove Jansson illustrated with photographs by her brother Per Olov Jansson.

For Mauri Kunnas, Finland’s most successful children’s book author the exhibition presents works from Santa’s Christmas Holiday (Joulupukin joululoma)and Santa Claus (Joulupukki), an iconic title Kunnas is internationally best known for and the bestselling Finnish title of all time. The book has been translated into 29 languages and sold over two million copies.

The works from the heartfelt You Are Super Loved (Sinä olet superrakas) picture book by award-winning author and illustrator Ninka Reittu share the whimsical yet tender story about the superpower of love The book is part of Reittu’s Super series about a father’s and son’s relationship. You Are Super Loved was a Finlandia Junior nominee in 2017.

Marika Maijala’s Ruusun matka (Rosie Run) and The Magic Flower (Taikurin kukka) are also among the featured works. Maijala is a celebrated creator and has been awarded various awards, most recently the Illustrator of the Year 2024. In 2025 Maijala was an ALMA nominee for the fifth time. She has illustrated several picture books and written three of her own including The Magic Flower which was among the Most Beautiful Books of Finland (2023), 100 Outstanding Picture Books (2023) and one of the winners of the 58th Illustrators Exhibition. Her debut picture book the multi-awarded Rosie Runs received the 2019 Rudolf Koivu Award and was among The Most Beautiful Books in Finland in 2018 and The White Ravens in 2020. The title was also nominated for The Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize in 2019.

Works by Liisa Kallio, one of the best-selling Finnish children’s book authors are also part of the exhibition. Everyone (Jokainen), a picture book that bursts with joy and colour introduces young readers with warmth to the big questions of humanity and guides them to explore, observe and verbalise their own uniqueness. The title was listed The Most Beautiful Books of Finland in 2021.

Oili Tanninen was one of Finland’s most treasured creators of children’s literature whose works have been published across Europe and as far as Japan and South Korea. Her simple, yet bold illustrations in graphic colours make her artwork feel as fresh today as when the first books were published in the 1960’s. Oili Tanninen’s delightful and boldly coloured work Hippu is among the oldest titles that R&B represents. The follow-up “Hippu and Friends”, a four-book series created for Japanese publisher Kodansha was published back in 1976. This retro picture book series has been brought to life in stunning Pantone colours and fresh translations, and for the first time it has been published outside Japan, so far in Italy, Finland and South Korea.

Event details – The Happiest Forest in the World

Exhibition period: 11 April–31 August 2025
Opening hours: Weekdays 09:00 – 18:00 (closed every 2nd and 4th Mondays, public holidays except Sundays)
Location: National Library of Children and Young Adults (21 Teheran-ro 7-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul).
For more information: Embassy of Finland in Seoul