This is the first in the Findus series and not to be missed. Philip Pullman has written so eloquently on the series that I’m leaving the words to him. “It’s not often that we come across books with such immediate and lasting appeal. The stories are ingenious, the characters are quirky and original, and the illustrations are absolutely delightful. I’ve seldom seen such an endless, apparently effortless flow of invention. Readers young and old will spend happy hours poring over them to find all the details, and revisit them again and again. I cannot recommend them highly enough. Hurrah for Findus!”
The Findus stories were sparked by Sven Nordqvist playing with his two toddler sons at home in the anarchic chaos of his studio. He’s a leading Swedish children’s illustrator and writer who has won numerous prestigious book awards including the Astrid Lindgren Prize.
Nathan Large, translator of the Findus books, explains: "Illustrator Sven Nordqvist and his odd creations Pettson and Findus are household names in their native Sweden and beyond. Over the past two decades their books have been translated into 29 languages and read by millions (It can take a while for us English-speakers to catch up with what the rest of the world is reading). Cranky old Pettson and his stripey-trousered cat have developed a cult following among both children and adults, and when you meet them you’ll understand why."
Published for the first time in Britain, launches the first in the series of 9 Findus and Pettson story books. The series has sold over 6 million in 44 languages. It features amusing story for reading aloud to 5/6 year olds who love the quirky illustrations, and for 7/8 year olds to read for themselves. Author/Illustrator Sven Nordqvist has won many awards for his work in children's literature including the Elsa Beskow Prize and the Astrid Lindgren Prize.This is the first story of the adventures of farmer Pettson and his cat Findus. Pettson wants to bake a pancake birthday cake for the cat who has three birthdays a year. But how can they get the eggs when the bull is in the way? Findus and Pettson live in a red farmhouse, with a toolshed, henhouse, garden and outside toilet. They are surrounded by the forests, fields and meadows of rural Sweden. Every picture tells a story, with a fascinating, magical world of tiny creatures.
'It's not often that we come across books with such immediate and lasting appeal as Sven Nordqvist's 'Findus' series. The stories are ingenious, the characters are quirky and original, and the illustrations are absolutely delightful... I can't recommend them highly enough. Hurrah for Findus! - Philip Pullman
Author
About Sven Nordqvist
Sven Nordqvist started out as an architect and worked as an advertising artist for a while. It was in 1983, when he won a competition of best picture book at OPAL, that he started as an illustrator and author. His competition contribution was the book Agaton Öman och alfabetet, which has become a huge success in Sweden and is still popular 27 years later. As the story is about the alphabet it is very hard to translate it into other languages than the Nordic ones. A year later Sven Nordqvist wrote and illustrated his first book about an old man, Pettson, and his cat Findus, and this reknowned independent series of 8 books has been translated into around 40 languages.
