Small book about emotions

Anne-Maria Kuusela 2019: Pieni kirja tunteista
Illustrations by Matias Teittinen

I previously wrote about Rounders, which teach kids about emotions.

This small book collects all the animals we read about before.  The Angry Crab, frightened penguin, nice giraffe. My personal favourite: zen flamingos.

As I so many times repeat myself: all humans need to word the emotions, so they can understand themselves and others. For example: if you encounter an angry person, do not let them suck you into their anger. Recognize their anger and realize there might be other reasons than you, which make them angry.  Fear is another important emotion to be recognized. Many time fear creates anger. 

I heard that the Finnish hockey team won the world championship, because the learned how to talk about their emotions.  Now we need to teach the parents by the hockey rink to do the same and not to rage to the referees and opponents.

Baas and moos poems of animals and humans

Mariska 2018: Määt ja muut, runoja eläimistä ja ihmisistä
Illustrated by Reetta Niemensivu and Aapo Ravantti


Wonderful collection of animal (and human) poems. My favourite was of a sad cow that is pining after a bull that had gone with another cow. How very sad! The cuteness comes from the word "muu". Mariska writes: "Sonni löysi viereen jonkun Muun." The bull is now near someone else. (Muu= someone else and the sound a cow makes in Finland)

These poems are insightful: the seagulls at the Helsinki marketplace are just in defiance age. That is why they are trying to eat people's foods! A little girl is on strike and does not want to go to sleep, to day care and so on. Adults have the right to strike so why not kids?

Mariska is previously known as musician. She has written lyrics to many Finnish artist and has recorded songs herself. 

Siiri on strike

The seagull in mischief

Cow mooing over a bull

Hedgehog's Fairytale tree

 Pia Perkiö 2018: Siilin satupuu
Illustrated by Pia Sakki

The magic of the forest. Hedgehog and its friends are the main characters of this book.  The book is written in poem form, and the stories are easy to follow by the smallest listeners.

Fox is delivering messages across town, frog is preparing for a jumping competition. Rabbit offers squirrel some hot juice on their skiing trip.

In the spring hedgehog has its birthday and hugs everyone. Luckily there are enough band-aids, if the spikes are too rough.

Water goblin (vesihiisi) tells stories on Sundays at five.


Summertime makes the foxes fall in love, mole keeps a daycare for worms. (This is kind of scary, since moles eat worms. But let's not tell this to the kids. Maybe its a vegetarian mole.)

In the fall, the spiders weave a blanket, the squirrel grandpa makes porridge,the rabbi catches a train and a fox hears a lullaby.

Lovely poems and super cute illustrations. I am kind of sad, my boys think they are too old for this kind of poems, but I get my sons to read this, because there are few words and this is fast to read.

Case of stalagmite

Laura Ruohonen 2017: Tippukivitapaus
Illustrated by Erika Kallasmaa

Colorful poems about all kinds of creatures. This book surely shows Finnish language at its best. If these poems were written in English, I would not understand them. The beauty is based on the similarities of the words. For example Tapani from Haaparanta, who alters his habbits (parantaa tapansa) or the icefishers having a picnic in Piikkö (Piikkiöläiset pilkkijät piknikillä). And naturally for me it all rhymes! No modern poems for me.

We also learn about the hot tears of the volcano (of which we know nothing about), what the picky eater has for lunch or what happens when you have gloves (you have to have hands, if you have hands you need a piano and so on..). And naturally there is the discussion - or  the argument if you wish - if the sauna whisk is actually called vihta or vasta.


This was also transformed into a musical at the Finnish National Theater, Kansallisteatteri in Helsinki

Here's a "music video" named "If you have gloves" and you can listen to the music in Spotify

Picky-eaters lunch

Sauna whisk in west vs. Sauna whisk in east

Early Ghost catches the worm

edited by Tuula Korolainen 2010: Haamuhetki kullan kallis
Illustrations Anne Vasko

For person who does not like poems, I read awfully lot poem books. The Finnish title of the is book is an adaption of the Finnish saying "Aamuhetki kullan kallis" which is direct translations of the Swedish and German proverbs: "Morgon stund har guld i mund/ Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund". The meaning being the same as in "Early bird catches the worm."   Again these saying show how similar Swedish and German are. In my brain they get mixed alot especially if I am speaking German and all of sudden have to say something is Swedish. It is as if they were in the same box, when English is in another box.

Any way back to the book. Cute poems about Ghosts, boogeyman and vampires. One story is about a ghost who is unemployed because of the light nights in the summer. I never thought about it, but the vampires must also have difficult time in the summer, when the sun never sets. They don't have it easy in the winter either, because even though the sun never rises, people are covered with scarfs and wool, so no skin is available.

This book also made me think how difficult it is for vegetarian vampires. Talk about outcasts. My husband and I were watching one vampire show (must have been True blood), when I asked, if it is common knowledge that vampires must be invited, before they can enter. My husband answered that he thought it was common knowledge vampires do not exist.  He keeps me down to earth.

One poem tells about a ghost that goes to sauna and leaves its "rags" on the fence. One boogeyman is afraid of ghosts and it waits anxiously for morning while the ghost is afraid of the boogeyman. One ghost child wants to be a vampire when he grows up.

I guess most of the children aren't afraid of ghosts or vampires any more, but after reading this book they most certainly are not.

Christmas of Topelius

told by Kirsti Mäkinen 2015: Topeliuksen joulu
illustrations by Rudolf Koivu

Zacharias Topelius (1818–1898) was no doubt the one of the most influential person in our culture and society. He also enjoyed writing to children. In this book Kirsti Mäkinen has collected the poems and Christmas stories written by Zacharias Topelius.  She also writes about Christmas in 19th century Finland in the farms, cities and even in Zacharias Topelius' home.  We learn about the traditions that we still have: the potato and carrot casseroles, feeding birds and giving gifts.

The stories and poems are some what sad. The poems are familiar to me through Christmas songs: Sylvian joululaulu  or Varpunen jouluaamuna (Sparrowon a Christmas Eve), where the younger brother dies. The translations are at the end of this post.

Talk about Finnish melancholy. Luckily we do have some more up beat songs as well, thanks to our long history with Sweden.  If the  songs of Topelius makes me cry, here is a Christmas song that makes me smile: Nisse-polkka.

Lyrics of Chistmas Song of Sylvia
(Sylvian joululaulu)

The illustrations are from another master: Rudolf Koivu. His illustrations are familiar to all Finns.

Sylvia's Christmas Song 
And now it is Christmas in my loved north,
Is it Christmas as well, in the heart?
And bright Christmas candles do spread their light forth,
To each little cabin and hearth.
But up in the rafters there hangs high above,
The cage that imprisons my soul's turtledove;
And quiet are now all the prisoners' groans,
But oh, who pays heed to a prisoner's moans?
 Oh shine you, the brightest of stars in the sky,
On my Finland so far, far from here;
When finally your light in the darkness doth die,
Oh, bless you that land, oh so dear!
I never will find one of equal worth,
My dearest will always be my land of birth;
My country to praise, I sing Sylvia's song;
It e'er will remain as a song pure and strong.

Sparrow on a Christmas Eve

Snow has already covered the flowers in a valley,
the comber of a lake frozen in the winter freeze,
 A sparrow, little one, has eaten the summertime food,
the comber of a lake has frozen in the winter freeze.
 On the stairs of a little cabin there was a dear girl,
come, sparrow, with joy, take a seed from me!
It is Christmas, homeless my sparrow, miserable,
come here with joy, take a seed from me!
 To the girl the dear sparrow flew joyously:
with gratitude I do take the seed from you.
The God will want to reward you sometime.
With gratitude I do take the seed from you!
 I am not, my child, a bird from this land,
I am your small brother, I came from the Heavens.
 The tiny seed, that you gave to the poor,
the small brother of yours, from the land of the angels, got.

Animal poems

 Jukka Itkonen 2016: Hirvi irvistää
Illustrated by Matti Pikkujämsä


The name of the book in Finnish means moose grimaces.  Later on you learn that tit grimaces to a cow that came to forest to his turf. Cute short poems about animals from moose to ants.

Lynx lynx is probably the only animal
all Finnish know in Latin.

I am becoming a fan of the modern children's poems. Before the poems were too educational and moralizing, but now they are just fun. Of course, you can still learn a thing or too.

Swatter

Kaija Pispa 2006: Kärpäslätkää
Illustrations: Elina Warsta

This name was hard to translate, since "lätkä" also means hockey in Finnish. Cute poems about bed bugs, cows that go crazy. Swans that leasurely swim by the lake, whining crow and many ohers.

My personal favourite is the "Biological reality", where the lesson is that if the owl does not feed its young, the young keep crying.

Second favourite is the "Spastic asparagus", which really does not make any sense, but is fun to read.

Biological reality on the right.

Singing sneekers: atheletic sport poems

Jukka Itkonen 2015: Laulavat lenkkitossut : urheilullisia liikuntarunoja
Illustraded by Matti Pikkujämsä

Finns are sports fans. Any kind of sport and they'll watch it.  I never understood that until I talked with a girl, who said it is very relaxing to watch soccer or other sports, because you know what is going to happen. Just follow the ball/puck/any sport instrument. But if you  observe my mother-in-law during a hockey match, it is far from relaxing, she gets really excited and passionate about cheering for the Finnish team.

This book is about sport poems. First is soccer, then comes every possible sport including Mölkky.  Not to forget the sportsfans on the couch, the penkkiurheilija. I hope this book inspires children to move and find a hobby that makes them move.

The Finnish  couch potato

Other poems from Jukka Itkonen in Crocodile sweats. And other poems about sports in Marjaliis Pitkärantas Kesäkisat.

Christmas poems of the Finnish Children

Edited by Ismo Loivamaa 2015: Suomen lasten joulurunot
illustrations by Rudolf Koivu

The book includes old Finnish Christmas poems and some new. Most of the poems I recognize as Christmas song that we have been singing as long as I can remember.

At the end of the book is told how the poems have changed their emphasis over the years form religious and patriotic to warmth and nearness.

Elved preparing for Christmas (Rudolf Koivu)

The illustrations are by Rudolf Koivu and in my eyes are very nostalgic.

Ragline

Annika Sandelin 2010: Businnan
illustrated by Linda Bondestam

Annika Sandelin 2011: Businnan blir kär
illustrated by Linda Bondestam

Ragline (Businnan/Retkuliina)

Ragline  is a plush dog that has been thrown away,  but luckily Petra has taken her in. Ragline (Businnan in Swedish, Retkuliina in Finnish) is very selfis and high maintenance plush toy and she has to find her place among the other toys and where nobody appreciates her need to be the center of attention. The others are soon ready to throw her back on the street again.

Ragline enjoys the swings

Luckily Ragline is so loveable that she gets to stay.

Lessons about accepting others the way they are, but also not being a dive.

Ragline falls in love (Businnan blir kär)

Ragline meets Rackham a very charming boy plush dog and together they run away.

While Ragline is romacing with Rackham, Petra is very sad because she left. Petra's other toys at first are glad but then start to miss her as well. The house is boring without Ragline. Ragline soon sees that life isn't as rosy as she thought it would be and returns home a lot fatter. It turns out she is going to have a puppy.

The second version reminds me of Disney's Lady and the Tramp, but with a Kaurismäki twist: the male always leaves! That is too rough. I prefer the Disney version, but the perspective is good and so is the lesson: beware of these charmers!

To really charm Ragline, Rackham takes her to the garden.

Nightowls

Laura Ruohonen 2008: Yökyöpelit
Illustrated by Erika Kallasmaa

In a mysterious building no one sleeps at night: flues sigh, the elevator is coughing, the basement door squeeks. The master spy agent genious Naru  creeps and investigates. Five small Nieminens eat only the holes from the bread. Grandma Ant remembers her millionth husband.

Nasty lime is waiting to be wed, the Rastafarians bathe with bouquets of birch branches (vasta) and the headlouse is just waiting for kids to feast with their blood.

The nasty slime (Imulima) is waiting for a wedding.

Based on this book is also created a tv-series Yökyöpelit by YLE  that was favourite to our boys. I must admit that the phonetics are cute with imulima and päätäi Väätäinen. Is this what it is like to live in an apartment house? Maybe not, but it sure is entertaining.

The rastafarians in sauna.

Walk this world

Jenny Broom 2013
Illustrated by Lotta Nieminen

The book celebrates different cities. All very different all colorful. Every spread introduces a new city from Helsinki to Sydney.

All citys have flaps so the reader can see inside the buildings.

Helsinki

Fascinating is that Helsinkin is surrounded by forests. That maybe true. I also enjoy the onion domes of the Red Square and the very recognizable Sydney Opera House.

Stories from Bugland

Ville Hytönen 2014: Ötökkämaan tarinat
illustrated by Virpi Penna

Seven stories about bugs.

Läntti ja Likakasa  (Spot and PileOfDirt)
Läntti and Likakasa are an odd couple, both are very dirty and like leeks because of their strong smell. The filthy friends live together and when guests come over, they always sit above wind so the stench isn’t so bad. Family Harjumaa come with clothespins in their noses and wonder why Läntti and Likakasa never bathe and never wash their clothes. Lika asks them why to change clothes when they get dirty again soon.

Läntti’s clothes are ancient and filled with bugs that are extinct. One day Likakasa’s hat and Läntti’s shirt disappear. Läntti and Likakasa search everywhere but cannot find them. Suddenly they see Family Harjumaa, the dad waring Likakasa’s hat and the mother wearing Läntti’s shirt. Dad appologises they just wanted to know what it felt like to be dirty: it is relaxing. Läntti is philosophical: in order to be clean, one must know what it is like to be dirty.

Old Tuikka (Vanha Tuikka) 
Old Tuikka is very old and very grumpy. He is almost a month old. Old Tuikka chases Hämämäkämäkki away, tells Kiippu Käppänen that some one should teach him some manners, Vaaksiainen looks messy and in Old Tuikka’s opinion Ippu Pötökkä only idles his time away. Old Tuikka shouts his opinion to everyone about their flaws. The others decide to throw a party, maybe that will change Old Tuikka’s mood. They have food, decoration and drinks, but they forgot music. Old Tuikka arrives and berates everyone. Then the others tell him that they do not have any music. Old Tuikka says he sung when he was younger. Soon the evening is filled with music. Tuikka is joyful and looks happy, which makes the others happy, too.

Old Tuikka sings a song about to filthy Friends 

Small bug called Ippu Pötökkä 
A small girl names him (or her the name doesn’t tell and Ippu could be a boy’s or a girl’s name) just before she falls asleep. Ippu becomes obsessed to do something grand after previously he was a small bug, but now he is Ippu Pötökkä (The name comes from Pikku Ötökkä, a small bug, but people tend to mix up letters evey once in a while). If you have a name, you have to be important. Ippu flies around the room and finds a small banana, which looks like it could use some water. Ippu is too small to lift the water can so he decides to find help. He finds an old Raisin at the cupboard and the old Raisin tells him to find the small bugs at the red paper basket. There live the big flies that tell Ippu to search for the small bugs under the lampshade. But there lives a Vaaksiainen, who tell Ippu that the small bugs live on the banana leaves.

Ippu finds them and they say that they like the banana just the way it is, a little wilted. Ippu understands that he is a small bug too, whose life is spent wondering about his name. He decides to live on the leaf with the other small bugs.

Hämämäkämäkki 
Hämämäkämäkki is a spider (hämähäkki in Finnish) who does not have any bugs in her net (in the picture Hämämäkämäkki is drawn as a girl) She is hungry and annoyed. Actually she does not want to eat other bugs, they are lovely company. Nonetheless Hämämäkähäkki has been taught that she must eat other bugs. She tried once: apologized and tried to swallow the bug whole. She felt bad.
Now a Äkämäkätkökääriänen (a moth) gets tangled in her web. The moth asks her not to eat him. He is expected at home for dinner. The moth suggests something else Hämämäkämäkki could eat. She is delighted: needles are her new favorite food. From then on she throws great parties with web swings.

The best Punkeri in the forest 
Punkeri’s job is hard: it punkers all the time and no one understands what he does. So Punkeri must punker all alone. Punkeri tries to show others what it is that he does, but others think it doesn’t make any sense. Jäärä (a beetle that also means a stubborn person in Finnish) tries to comfort him: nobody knows what Jäärä does either. Punkeri knows: Jäärä eats log houses. Jäärä corrects him: he is a baker. They spend some time together and it turns out that punkering fits well with baking. Together they make wonderful treats for everyone.

Kirppujen yö runo (the night of the fleas poem)

Kippu Käpänen and thousand sailors 
Kippu Käpänen is walking to the lake. He is the nicest and fairest of all bugs. He drinks from the lake ans sees a bark boat coming his direction. The boat is full of ants. The ants want to know what he is doing at their beach. Kippu does not understand how the shore is theirs, the shores are public places. The ants start to talk amongst themselves and try to figure out what to do. Their greenflies need a place to pasture. Kippu tells them ther is plenty of room for everyone at the beach. Kemppi arrives and says the beach is his. Kippu Käpänen suggest that the beach is public so that every one can enjoy it. Others agree.

Merenkäynnin hurja runo (The Poem of the fierce heave of the sea)

Herra Pöntinen (Mr. Pöntinen)
 Mr. Pöntinen is not a bug but a small man, who dressed like a gentleman. All bugs in the forest come to see him. He tells them that he is going to write a book about the bugs. The bugs have many talents that only few humans have. Tuikka learned how to calm his meanness with singing, Pukeri is proud of his profession event though others don’t understand. Kippu knows how to negotiate and settle things so that every one is happy. Läntti and Likakasa understand that hypocrite tidiness isn’t the most important thing in life. Ippu Pötökkä is important even if he is small. Every bug gets praised . Mr. Pöntinen wants humans to learn to live beautiful and peaceful lives.


 The stories are great except the last which is too much teaching. Kids are smart and I think they get the point even though it isn’t written out. The most amazing thing is that the bug with the most ridiculous name (Äkämäkätkökääriänen) is an actual bug species. I guess the most creative people work in biology coming up with names like this.

Marjaliisa Pitkäranta's animals

text by Ester Ahokainen, illustrations Marjaliisa Pitkäranta
1983: Metsänväen kesäkisat
test by Heli Karjalainen, illustrations by Marjaliisa Pitkäranta 1990: Metsänväen tarinoita
Marjaliisa Pitkäranta 1999: Lasten oma metsäkirja

The Summergames of the Forest folks
(Metsänväen kesäkisat)

I got this as a birthday present when I was a child. It was the first poem book I had read and it is still fantastic, which is amazing becaus I do not like poems and I do not like sporst. But this book combines both and adds a animals to the mix.

Swimming contest of otters and frog

All the animals have a sport that their are good at: the frogs swim, boxers box, reindeer run. All animals are having fun.

Forest animal stories (Metsän eläinten tarinoita)

This book combines stories of animals and elfs, who try to help them.  The main message is that the animals do not always understand the human actions: the pollutions, the littering and selfishness.

The animals are singing to catch the attention of humans.

The Children's own forest book
(Lasten oma metsäkirja)

This book introduces different plants and animals that live in the Finnish forests. There are few stories about forest creaturs such as a mice helping a bear. The book also teaches what mushrooms and berries not to eat.

Children's own forest book .cover