Maltti & Valtti in Trafic

Jerry Mikkelinen & Jussi Ollila 2017: Maltti & Valtti liikenteessä
Illustrations by Teemu Åke

My favourite traffic park police officers are back! This time they fumble in traffic. Their old pal Riku Rikesakko ( Rikesakko = traffic fee) is riding his bike on the sidewalk. That is not allowed and the traffic park policeofficers are on his case. Can Maltti and Valtti teach him the traffic rules in time, before any accidents happen.

This book has small tasks, problems for the reader to solve: how many traffic signs can you recognise, how to sit in a car. And my favourite: the dangers of using a phone in the traffic. Even all the adults do not know these. You can try yourself  by enlarging the image below.

Find out all the possible accidents about to happen,
because of the use of mobile phones.

 In my mind the Finnish police has a good reputation, people trust the police and rely on them.

The other Maltti & Valtti books published so far are:

Maltti & Valtti misson at Grandma's
Maltti  & Valtti on an almost deserted island

Maltti and Valtti on an almost deserted island

Jerry Mikkelinen and Jussi Ollila 2016: Maltti & Valtti melkein autiolla saarella
illustraded by Teemu Åke.

Maltti and Valtti are back! After their visit to Grandma's, they have a new job to save a shipwreck man. The two traffic park officers get themself also stranded on an island and find many curious things, such as a poo trap, which turns out to be a ancient way to use the toilet.

Maltti and Valtti learn valuable things on the island and it turns out the man was not shipwrecked after all. Ingeniously they get help by sending smoke signals.  The pair teaches wilderenss skills to the reader.

Maltti and Valtti find food on the island.

Maltti and Valtti are terrific charachters, the kids love when adults are clueless. We happend to see the two live at a near by festival and they were funny. Not only the kids but adults too were chuckling at their stories.

Maltti & Valtti live.

Constable Muddy and the mystery of bunnies

Tapani Bagge 2011: Konstaapeli Mutanen ja kanien arvoitus
Illustrated by Jusa Hämäläinen

Constable Muddy feels a little lonely and his neighbor suggest he gets a bunny. At first everything is fine, but then the bunny seems lonely. Constable Muddy gets another girl bunny, or so he thinks. Soon there are several bunnies more.

Constable Muddy also trained his bunnies to track and they solve many crimes together. I didn't  quite understand the mystery part. Is it how the bunnies breed? Cute story and my son found this very interesting and short enough for him to read.

Police Constable Bear and the invisible danger

Marko Kilpi 2010: Konstaapeli Kontio ja näkymätön vaara
illustrated by Janne Markkanen

Grandma Hedgehog is speeding with her kick sled and runs Constable Bear over. Nobody can see her, before it is too late.

Constable Bear wants that everyone can walk safely even when it is dark and he knows that he cannot change Grandma Hedgehog. He asks the town smith to come up with something that makes Grandma Hedgehog visible so others can avoid her.

The smith comes up with all kinds of gadgets. But the best is a reflector that has already been invented. Constable Bear orders everyone to wear one. Soon it is discovered that someone is not obeying the order. The villages have hear footsteps, but no one is seen. Constable Bear solves the mystery.

 The book reveals all kinds of things about us Finns:
 1. Bear has several names
2. The police is respected
3. Using reflector is taught to every child. It is a cheap life insurance
4. Grandmas with kick sleds are fairly common.

Let’s start with bears. My limitation of English language is screaming hear, since I could not come up with a synonym. Grizzly refers to a specific type of bear just like teddy. Finnish language has several: karhu, mesikämmen, otso, kontio just to name a few.

Grandma Hedgehog runs Constable Bear over.

 In this book the police is a bear. Both are well respected and maybe feared a little. By the way why are fear and respect walking hand in hand? It is amazing that the Finnish police considers the people they are dealing with as customers (Unless you are applying for a passport, then you are treated worse than the lowest criminal. I guess the administrators of the police station haven’t attended the same customer service courses as the police officers, who are enforcing law in the streets.)

We Finns believe that the reflector was invented in Finland. And in the country side people actually wear them. The city people think that since there are street lights, the car drivers can see them. But that is not the case. There are so many shadows that make the visibility poor at night time. Remember that darkness commands half the year. I have also heard that some think that it is embarrassed to wear a reflector. I do not understand why the outerwear designers can’t make jackets and pants with reflectors that look good.

Lastly, Grandmas with kick sleds is almost a cliché. In order to use a kick sled the roads must be stomped with snow, so that it is icy. Nowadays most roads are salted or at least sanded, so you cannot ride a kick sled. I do know that at least my mother sleds down to pick up mail with a kick sled.

Maltti & Valtti: mission at Grandma's

Jerry Mikkelinen & Jussi Ollila 2014: Maltti  & Valtti: Tehtävä Mummolassa
Illustrations: Teemu Åke

Maltti and Valtti (Moderation and Asset in Finnish) are Traffic park police officers that are always getting into trouble themselves.

In this book they receive a mission from Grandma. They almost do not even get there, because first they forget their bus money. Then Valtti gets an idea to play his guitar and make some money.

Then the money gets stolen. Maltti and Valtti chase the thug and he is run down by a car. As a reward the real police officers promise to drive them any where they want.

The trajectory of a raisin from Maltti's nose.

At Grandma's house there is always so much to do. Maltti and Valtti forget what they were supposed to do. They remember when Grandma calls and tells then she is coming home early. Maltti and Valtti are very sorry they forgot their mission.

Maltti and Valtti finally arrive to Grandma's house.

Grandma isn't upset, she is very understanding and happy that Maltti and Valtti are there. They even found a book that had been missing for a long time.

Maltti makes breakfast

Maltti and Valtti is also a tv-series at Pikku Kakkonen. In the tv-series Maltti is played by Jerry Mikkelinen and Valtti by Jussi Ollila.

The tv-series started a new season this fall (2014). Previously the scenery of Maltti and Valtti takes place in the Traffic Park. The new episodes are assignments that the two of them have to do. The assignments are what to do, when you are afraid of the dark and what to do when you have lied.