Chop Chop and Sand among The Most Beautiful Books of 2024

Two titles represented by Rights & Brands were awarded in the Most Beautiful Books 2024 collection. Both picture book Chop Chop and graphic novel Sand are among last year’s most beautiful books.

The Finnish Book Art Committee chooses the Most Beautiful Books of the Year collection annually. The collection aims to draw attention to the book as an artistic whole. One title is awarded as the Year’s Most Beautiful Book, and a selection of others, receive honorary mentions in six categories.

Chop Chop – The Story of a Busy Robot (Chop chop – En tapper jordbos berättelse, Förlaget M 2024) was among the chosen titles in the category of Children’s & YA Books. The work’s design & illustration are by Linda Bondestam.

Jury’s praise:

“The size of the book and the choice of materials do justice to the insightful illustrations, which play a key role in the narrative. The illustrations use a wide range of narrative imagery in a varied and justified way. The element of surprise remains until the end of the work. Apart from the effect varnish on the cover, the book has a matte finish throughout, which soothes the reading experience.”

Chop Chop is a thought-provoking picture book with a dose of civilisation critique combined with humour and melancholy. The book dives into a bleak future where mankind’s only hope is a little robot. A story set in a dystopian future where robots and humans coexist, and robots have taken over human tasks. What happens to the world when the wheels roll at turbo speed? 

One of the newest graphic novels on our list, Eeva Meltio’s Sand (Hiekka, Kraft Ink. 2024) was among the chosen titles in the Book Cover category. The work’s design & illustration are by Eeva Meltio.

Jury’s praise:

“The choice of cover material refers to the title of the work. The restrained, sand-coloured clout and the black illustration printed on it, together with the aptly chosen typography, create a powerful and strong ensemble.”

Sand is situated in the Midwest and takes place during the severe droughts of the 1930s. Sand is a multi-layered story about grief and forgiveness, about a broken family’s struggle to find a way to deal with the past and an allegory of climate change. Ultimately, however, it is a book about hope.

For more details on all awarded titles, click here.

Huge congratulations to all the awarded authors and book designers!