This is the fourth in the terrific series featuring Findus the cat and his erstwhile companion farmer Pettson. Set amongst the fields and forest is a red farmhouse and this is where Findus and Pettson live very happily but when they decide to camp in their garden the farmyard chicken rather like the idea of joining. Havoc ensues. 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.
A message from Philip Pullman: “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!”
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."
Findus finds a tent in the attic and Pettson starts imagining how it will be going camping by the lake, catching fish and grilling them over the fire as the sun sets. Things do not turn out as he imagines.
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.
