The Duck Who Was Afraid to Fly

The Duck lives in a city where everyone else’s lives are so interesting and important, they seem to have a purpose even in their everyday life. The Duck, however, is having strange symptoms and anxiety, and it is only when the doctor diagnoses the condition as fear of flying. The Duck should try it but its muscles ache. It admires the swan’s dancing and graceful flying. It puts on a tulle skirt and imitates the swan’s elegant movements, in secret behind a tree. But the Duck cannot fly – it only falls on its beak! The Ducks journey of gaining confidence and forgetting about what others think, is told with a fresh voice and illustrated in bold colours by a genious pairing of established talents. Veera Salmi’s wise, urban tale is brought to life in the magnificent paintings of Matti Pikkujämsä.

Publishing information

Year of publication

2019

Page count

Original title

Sorsa Aaltonen ja lentämisen oireet

Original publisher

Otava

About the author

Matti Pikkujämsä (b. 1976) is an internationally recognized artist and illustrator living and working in Helsinki, Finland.He is known for his portrait projects, as well as making numerous children’s book illustrations for various publishers in Finland and Japan. He creates illustrations for Finland’s largest daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, and has also worked on pattern design for several fashion brands including Marimekko. In February 2019 a Valentine’s Day themed postage stamp set illustrated by Pikkujämsä was released in Finland. As one of the creators and illustrator of the The CupOfTherapy project he has made mental health problems and wellbeing visible.As an awarded artist Matti Pikkujämsä has won the Rudolf Koivu prize in 2013 and Finnish State Prize for Illustration in 2015. He won the first Illustrator of the Year award in 2019 and had an award exhibition on display at the Hanaholmen Gallery, organized by The Finnish Illustration Association together with the Hanaholmen Cultural Centre.“A phenomenal talent and an outstanding illustrator who breathes through his pen. His illustrations are not just decorations, but stories. His characters are always alive. He has served as a role model for many illustrators, but has a humble approach to his talent, understanding that it only forms the underlying framework for actual work…His illustrations portray the Finnish spirit with their spruces and domestic animals. His style features echoes of Nordic design from the previous decades, depicted from a new, fresh perspective.”– Illustrator of the Year Award jury

Author page Author photo of Veera Salmi for Rights and Brands Literary Rights.

Veera Salmi (b. 1976) is an acknowledged author who lives in Helsinki. She writes contemporary urban stories with a deep understanding of children’s world and imagination. She won the Kaarina Helakisa Prize in 2014 and was nominated for the Finlandia Junior in 2015 for her children’s novel. Her books have been adapted for film, television, theatre and radio, and translated into Danish, Estonian, Korean and Swedish.“If you have read Veera Salmi’s books, you know that it is no exaggeration to call her a child or youth whisperer. Salmi seems to have a very special skill in relating the experience of children and young people, their world and their use of language. She opens a door to this slightly hidden world to an adult reader who gets a sneak peek.” – Sanna Kangasniemi, Helsingin Sanomat newspaper

Author page

Reviews

The picture book is a modern animal fable. [– –] The world described in the book is full of disadvantaged and socially vulnerable characters. The cookie queue, where some of the birds get their daily food, refers to the real-world bread queues – which is to say, the growing inequality in the cities. As the narrator of the picture book describes the cookie queue: “This was where those birds whose dreams had not come true received today’s cookie ration.”[– –] In the world of the picture book, however, urban poverty and the inequality of society are not described in a bleak and sad manner. Pikkujämsä’s humorous illustrations in clear colours displace the serious content, and both the text and the pictures discover some marvellous beauty in the city: The sun shines like “the cream in a cake” and the most beautiful thing of all is to watch the lovely dance of the swans in the lake.[– –] The way the book plays with different characteristics of birds is also cheerful…In Pikkujämsä’s naivistically colourful illustrations, the birds are birds, and the book’s diversity of species is delightful in its range. In the narrative text, bird sounds are contained in the inventive layout, and for the young reader there are many exciting things to study in the birds.”[– –]

Nordic Council Literature Prize Jury

“The Duck Who Was Afraid to Fly is a mesmerizing book about overcoming self-doubt. Matti Pikkujämsä’s fresh illustration and Veera Salmi’s hilarious narrative emphasize that the symptoms of flying should be taken seriously. When you dare to dream and let go, anything is possible.”

Runeberg Junior Jury

“The Duck Who Was Afraid to Fly (Sorsa Aaltonen ja lentämisen oireet) is a spot-on-metaphor of us humans and our inner restraints.”

Arvid Lydecken jury