This year’s final issue of Onnimanni focuses on literature for children below school age, especially baby books for toddlers.
For 85 years, the Finnish state has distributed maternity packages to Finnish families with new-borns. Initially, the box was only given to families of limited means, but since 1949 all families with new-born babies are entitled to receive it. In 1985, a baby book was added to the box along with the previously included baby clothes and other child-care essentials. The maternity package serves as a gentle reminder of the importance of early reading and its impact on the well-being of the whole family.
In addition, the national child health clinics issue information on early reading and distribute children’s books. Within the three-year-long A Book Bag to Every Baby Born -programme, managed by The Finnish Reading Center, families with young children have been provided book bags free of charge. The feedback from the clinics and parents has been unanimously positive, says Emmi Jäkkö director of The Finnish Reading Center.
Together with her four-month-old daughter Ruusu, literary researcher Maria Laakso has explored the latest baby books. Laakso, who initially had a somewhat negative view of these books, was surprised by the wide range on offer. She has taken a special interest in the baby books’ physical shape and their dramaturgy. The still abundant depiction of farm life in today’s books for toddlers baffled her. She also notes that the audiobook format is becoming increasingly common among books for the very youngest.
Also, literary researcher Jaana Pesonen is the mother of a toddler. She notes that many recent American cardboard books for infants and preschool-aged children promote the idea of social equality and hence take a stand against racism and discrimination. Such baby books are not yet that common in Finland. Still, similar ideological ideas surface in picturebooks for preschool-aged children. Pesonen stresses how important it is for children of diverse backgrounds, features and characteristics to be able to relate to the protagonists in the books they read.
Children’s book author and illustrator Sanna Pelliccioni’s book series about the boy Onni (published by Minerva and Etana Editions since 2007) is a good example of a modern and popular picturebook series for young children. In the exhibition based on the books, called “Onni on olla” and curated by Pelliccioni herself, the visiting children and their parents can engage with and experience the world of the Onni-books. The exhibition is on tour around Finland. Parents who have visited the display with their children find that it offers them a calm space for play in sharp contrast to the noise and rush of everyday life. Juli-Anna Aerila, who is specialised in literary education, points out that playing games based on children’s books can be inspiring especially for children for whom literature, reading aloud and books are not that familiar.
Children’s literature is visible in various ways on numerous platforms on social media. Maaria Linko, who is specialised in sociology of the arts and culture, has examined the importance of book blogs as part of literary conversations. She concludes that the amount and popularity of children’s book blogs have declined, whereas book talks on TikTok and Instagram have increased. Influencer and recipient of the Onnimanni Prize Ulla Lehtinen, confirms that also she has noted this change.
Translation Maria Lassén-Seger
