Birds of Small Island

Eppu Nuotio: Pirkko Punarinta ja kadonnut polkupyörä and Kauko Kivitasku ja kadonnut onnenkivi Illustrated by Saara Vallineva

Two books about Small Island (Pikkusaari) and their habitats.

First, Pirkko Punarinta is a robin, who looses her bike. She puts up a sign promising the person, who took the bike pancakes. All the islanders show up for the pancakes and Pirkko throws a great party. But no bike. In the end the bike is found.

The second book is about Kauko Kivitasku, a wheater, looses his lucky stone. Kauko tracks back to all the places he visited that morning and luckily the stone is found

The illustrations are photos of miniatures made by Saara Vallineva. The details are remarkable. The books have very little text so they are suitable for kids who just learned to read.  You don't even need to read, the photos have so many details that capture your eyes. You can actually feel you are on the island.

Pirkko posts a notice promising pancakes for the bike

Pirkko's cotage

Kauko offers coffee for Eero Erakkorapu (hermit)

Pea soup fog

Tapani Bage 2010: Tahvo ja Bella hernerokkasumussa
illustrated by Salla Savolainen

Tahvo is a cat, who thinks he is a siberian tiger, Bella is a dog, who live on an island. One autumn day the fog is so thick, we Finns would call it pea soup fog. Tahvo and Bella collect drift wood from the shore.  The fog is cold and Tahvo wants to catch it and taste it. Does it taste like pea soup?

Suddenly they catch a penguin! He is Pablo and he wants to go back home to the Antarctic. Tahvo and Bella help him to find a vessel to get there.

The weather is always a good toppic to talk about. Usually the weather is too cold or rainy. On some rare occation we complain about the heat. The peasoup fog is where I live quite rare.  What I like about this book, is the cat who thinks he is something he is not and everyone else is ok with it and the mystique the fog brings and finally the helping others.

Tahvo is trying to get some of that pea suop.