By Ann Forslind
Lale and her family have recently arrived in Sweden. They are Kurds (from Turkey) and have lived in several places along the way, but now they will finally be allowed to stay in Gothenburg. Lale is almost seven, expectant and enterprising. A steady little girl. And it may be necessary, because it is not always so easy. Lale tackles things on her own, such as exploring the surroundings, where she can find friends, and learning a new language. Lale thinks about a lot and also gets worried and sad, but no one really notices, both mother and father are busy with their new existence. Lale must look for friends elsewhere. Above all, she longs to start school. There must be friends there. And pretty soon she discovers that someone in the school yard is watching her intently…
Praise:
“Ann Forslind is skilled at leaving room for the reader to think, which means that Lale wants a friend is a good place to talk about, for example in a school class. The themes can be escape, how to befriend someone, different kinds of families. The book is relatively short, but the content is large! A lot of everyday excitement that requires the most skill to write. The illustrations are friendly, complement the text and say a little more. The book stands well on its own, but I hope for a sequel where we get to deepen our acquaintance with Lale’s world.”-Library service
Ann Forslind is an author and illustrator with many children’s books behind her, e.g. “Lilla stora syster”, “AJ! or when I ended up in hospital” and the series about Little H. She has also written and illustrated the highly appreciated series about Bäbis where, with a stripped-down style, she managed to make small books full of expression and recognition. Ann Forslind has been awarded the Elsa Beskow prize for her illustrations.