Picture books from the furthest north

The Faroese Bárður Oskarsson writes and draws comic stories for the youngest children, while for slightly old children

By Kamilla Löfström
Kødbenet ('The Dogs’ Bone') is a classic comic narrative told solely using pictures. The story has two characters, two dogs, who keep an eye on each other and, not least, on each others’ bones. Who has the biggest? Can the other be persuaded to swap? And what about the gigantic dog with matching gigantic bone, who suddenly appears in the final picture? The gigantic dog does at least make the two dogs in the story look very small. Will they now join forces against the big dog?

Oskarsson tells the story using the simplest of means and invites the reader to join in and contribute to the story. The dogs communicate by means of eyes and tails, and the background is just a pale yellow colour, which underlines the simplicity and maybe ever so gently suggests the theme of envy.

Poul, en cool giraf ('Poul, a cool giraffe') also deals with getting involved in social relationships. Poul is a giraffe who is really just like any other giraffe. He has a long neck, and he has a patchwork skin. All the same the other giraffes think there is something about Poul that makes him cool. Soon, however, they start thinking that Poul is odd rather than being cool. This is because Poul forgets that giraffes are vegetarian and wants to try eating other animals like lions do. Poul’s whim is soon over, though, and he starts behaving properly and following the herd, which means that he eats leaves. But Poul does also rebel – it just that he’s the only one who knows it. Once in a while he will eat a leaf with a fly on it without any of the other giraffes seeing it. In this way the reader is made party to Poul’s little secret without anything being revealed to the other giraffes. The story is told in a powerful bond of loyalty between the reader and Poul – and, despite the giraffe’s long neck, is told at the level of the smallest children who love books to be read aloud.

Translated by John Mason