What the press have said

NZ Listener
"They've sold over four million copies and watching my kids take to this it's easy to see why…. Lively, silly, a cross between Wallace and Gromit and a European folk tale - this is pure good fun."

Tomorrow's Schools
"…will have chidren over five spellbound and wanting to read it again and again."

Booknotes
"The kind of book that makes you want to hunt out a child to share it with."

The Findus and Pettson stories

In their native Sweden, farmer Pettson and his fast-talking, mischievous cat Findus are a household name. And the Findus and Pettson books are not just favourites in Sweden, but throughout the world where they have sold over 6 million copies in 44 languages.

Sven Nordqvist, the author-illustrator, says in the beginning he had simply wanted to write a story. Needing a character and a plot, he hit upon a solitary old bachelor who had to go to the shops. Because this fellow could use a bit of company, someone to talk to, Sven gave him a cat.

He placed them in a ramshackle cottage in the country, with a henhouse, a workshop and a woodshed. And strange small creatures who live under the house and move Pettson's things about when he isn't looking…

Sven drew on personal experience when realising his characters. He gave Pettson elements of his own personality, such as his quirky, inventive way of thinking and love of solitude. Findus, while a very convincing cat, has childlike qualities inspired by Sven's young sons. Their little wooden home is typical of the Swedish crofter, and set among the forests, fields and meadows of rural Sweden. (So convincing is his depiction that The Swedish National Museum of Agriculture has built a child-scale model of Pettson's home, where children can both play and learn about a vanishing way of rural life.)

The relationship between Findus and Pettson is one of the cornerstones of the series' success. Findus has all the exuberance of a child discovering the world for the first time, while Pettson provides a safe adult presence. He allows a lot and scolds rarely. In contrast to the many grown-ups who are out working all day, his pottering presence is a source of security.

The stories are simple, very funny and end happily. Best of all they are brought to life with such colourful, inventive and eventful pictures. These are not just 'illustrations' in the narrow sense of the word but pictures that tell stories of their own, where you can discover new details each and every time you look. As a result the Findus books stand up very well to repeat readings even for parents.