(2) K-3 Illustrated by Stef Murphy. Freya and her mum arrive at a countryside log cabin suffused in gloomy blue with snow falling in the darkness. Mum tells her that "Dad loved this old place...He used to say it was magical," but Freya feels that the cabin is cold and empty with "just the two of them." Freya ventures outside with her sled and encounters, and follows, a friendly white fox. As the fox prances, "coloured sparks flew up from the snow." The fox pulls Freya on the sled, "sending frosty fires spiralling into the starlit sky" before it vanishes. Murphy's mixed-media illustrations show the night sky exuberantly shot through with the yellows, pinks, and whites of the northern lights, thin lines delicately and realistically outlining such natural elements as pine trees. Freya returns to the cabin, and the blues now look dazzling as she and Mum watch the sky and then sit together in a cozy nook with colorful touches such as stars hung over the window seat. Over the inviting fire is a picture of the family, including Freya's dad, as mother and daughter cuddle together over a photo album. A brief author's note reveals the story's connection to the Saami myth from Finnish Lapland of fire foxes creating the northern lights. This tender story combines mythology with an empathetic and spare narrative of loss and remembrance.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) 4-6 Retold by Pirkko-Liisa Surojegin. Translated by Jill G. Timbers. These twenty-six Nordic tales are mostly inspired by stories from the author-illustrator's native Finland. In a brief introduction, Surojegin explains that "the good-natured, trusting bear and wolf and the sly fox usually play the main roles in these tales, which are often set on a traditional farm at the edge of the forest." Indeed, Bear and Wolf are big and strong but terribly gullible, while smaller, super-wily Fox is constantly finding ways to nap or eat while they end up doing all the work--farming, threshing grain, building roads. Other forest and farm animals take part in the shenanigans, which include several pourquoi tales ("Fox Gets a White Tip on His Tail," for one). All the stories are accompanied by finely detailed illustrations--from vignettes to richly colored double-page spreads--of the animals and woodsy Scandinavian setting. The humorous retellings are for the most part linked together and intended to be read in order, and the varied length of the tales will help hold readers' attention.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) 4-6 Translated by Silja-Maaria Arobnpuro. A remarkably distinctive graphic novel that feels both ancient and contemporary. Poorling looks (and feels) different from the other bear cubs: her head is large and shaped like the flame of a match. This serves as foreshadowing, as she will go on to learn to make fire and with it both destroy and create. She is rejected by the bear she believes to be her mother, a bear who was in turn rejected by Emuu, "fierce grandma in the sky." Ahokoivu creates a fantasy world of snow; the Northern Lights; and fir forests inhabited by animals, shadow humans, and gods. She uses elements of Finnish mythology in a fresh creation myth, culminating in its protagonist's transformation to "Oksi, Guardian of the Forest." With beautiful ink washes (created along with digital tools), hand lettering, and a storyteller's voice, Ahokoivu explores the relationships between mothers and daughters, gods and their creations. The largely black-and-white art is interspersed with splashes of color, including yellow associated with the Scaup, a bird who serves as Poorling's teacher; and the red blood that pours from animals as they die. Poorling's story is dark and painful, but she is ultimately rewarded for her ability to understand her power and forgive and embrace her mother. Fantasy and graphic novel fans will likely be pulled into this sophisticated, metaphorical tale with its unexpected riches. "A Note on Names" is appended--Oksi, for example, is an old Finnish word for bear.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(3) YA As Red as Blood Trilogy series. Translated by Owen F. Witesman. This Finnish import is the first in a noir trilogy inspired by "Snow White." Estranged from her father, Lumikki Andersson is largely left to her own devices when she stumbles upon washed Euros drying in her school's darkroom, a drug conspiracy, and possibly even murder. This exhilarating story of an independent but vulnerable teen will appeal to older readers seeking a sophisticated thriller.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) 4-6 Translated by Annira Silver. Illustrated by Pasi Pitkänen. A Finnish mother leaves her kids with a monster nanny during a spa retreat she's mysteriously won. As the resourceful and likable Hellman siblings investigate why all the neighborhood kids have likewise been left with monsters, they also learn to be open-minded to those who are different. Some of the fantasy details don't add up, but the mystery surrounding the monsters is well built.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Chris Mould. Born in Finland, Santa was named Nikolas. Running away from a horrid aunt, he searches for his father in the Far North and arrives in the village of Elfhelm. In the end, generous Nikolas grows that famous beard and embraces his gift for giving. Spindly black-and-white illustrations feel merry even in their simplicity. There's fanciful sweetness in this confection.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(3) YA After their father dies, Tess and little brother Axel are forced to move to Finland to live with grandparents they don't know. When a shadowy figure convinces Axel his family can be reunited, he runs off into the snowy woods, leaving Tess to chase after him. Supernatural elements and folklore intertwine into a compelling tale about family, grief, and moving on.

Reviewer: Lauren Chambers

(3) YA During Finland's 1939 Winter War against the Soviet Union, Marko, crippled by polio, volunteers as a messenger for the Finnish army. Marko's loyalty to his country, family, and friends makes him a hero. Grisly war scenes and fast-paced action fit the genre. An excellent afterword succinctly explains Finland's conflicts with Russia from the 1800s to the aftermath of WWII. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) YA Modern World Nations series. These volumes do a credible job introducing the history, geography, contemporary political situation, and future prospects of each nation. Students may be interested to learn about the economy of enterprising Finland or the changes in Poland over the last decades. Though the texts aren't particularly engaging, the information will be useful for report writers. Photographs (some more pertinent than others) add interest. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Modern World Nations titles: England, Poland, and Finland.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) 4-6 Johnny, Tom, and their mother go on a dogsledding trip in Finland. The brothers love every minute of it--until their mam disappears. Running alongside the boys' tense, gripping adventure is the story of their eighteen-year-old half-sister, home in Dublin dealing with the return of her birth mother. The missing mother stories are linked by the characters' coming-of-age epiphanies.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2008

(4) 4-6 Ancient Fantasy series. Shepard's free-verse rendition of an excerpt from the Finnish epic was previously published as a picture book. Illustrations would certainly have enhanced this dense recounting of two suitors' competition to woo a devious maiden and their subsequent flight with the magical gifts they had proffered. Nevertheless, this edition fills a gap as there is little else drawn from the Kalevala available for children.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Leonid Gore. Mikko has found only a friendly mouse for a bride, while his older brother is to marry a nice-looking farm girl. The mouse, however, is really a princess, bewitched by a spell that can be broken only if one brother wishes to marry her while the other wishes to kill her. Illustrations that manage to be both elegant and amusing accompany this well-told tale. Brief source note included.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) K-3 Child's Day series. This book follows seven-year-old Iina-Marja, who lives with her family in Finnish Lapland, through a day at home (in town and at the family's country home) and at school. Color photos and an accessible text convey information about Sami customs, clothing, and food. Background on the region and the language are appended, as are a list of common phrases and a glossary, neither of which include pronunciation guides. Ind.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) K-3 Welcome to My Country series. The books in this series provide cursory overviews of these European countries. Topics covered include education, agriculture, history, economy, sports, art, and topography. Though not in-depth, the books do provide a starting point for report writers. Maps, clear photos, and lists of related websites are included. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Welcome to My Country titles: Welcome to Swedon, Welcome to Scotland, Welcome to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Welcome to the Netherlands, and Welcome to Finland.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 Countries of the World series. Each tour book-like volume begins with a country overview and continues with topics of particular interest in that country. Bosnia examines the impact of the recent war; Portugal recounts religious customs such as the cult of Fatima and the Festival of Trays; Finland looks at saunas and winter sports. Numerous captions detract from the flow of the text. Color photos and a map illustrate the books. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Festivals of the World series. Each volume opens with a brief description of the geography and people of the country it profiles, followed by a list of major holidays (organized by season) and more extensive discussion of five festivals celebrated there. The color photos are clearly reproduced, and most of the captions are informative, but others are completely inane. An activity, craft project, and recipe round out each volume. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jackie C. Horne