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Quirky Swedish Characters Captivate Children

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BEGINS

Quirky Swedish Characters Captivate Children

“Pettson lived on a little farm with his cat Findus. They had a few hens in the henhouse and a lot of wood in the woodshed. Everything else they needed was in the tool shed. They didn’t often get visitors, and that was how they liked it.”

So begins the story of one of Sweden’s most popular characters, the quirky and forgetful Farmer Pettson and his curious talking cat, Findus.

The Fox Hunt, by hugely successful Swedish author and illustrator, Sven Nordqvist, is the fourth book from Gecko Press, and follows the success of Donkeys and two books from Sweden’s Ulf Stark published earlier this year.

Gecko Press continues to give New Zealand children access to some of Europe’s most popular, entertaining and beautifully illustrated books, publishing them in English for the first time.

New Zealand author Penelope Todd describes the book as “a captivating and compassionate tale, with illustrations of comic genius.”

Aimed at ages 5 and up, The Fox Hunt follows one of the adventures of Pettson and Findus as they plan to outwit a hen-hunting fox on their farm, with a pepper-filled fake chicken, a ghost-like sheet and an array of fireworks. All this makes for an explosive, unforgettable night.

Sven Nordqvist spellbinds children with his quirky, detailed illustrations and engaging characters. Originally an architect and graphic designer before discovering his passion for children’s books, Nordqvist is a household name in Sweden and in Europe.

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The ‘Pettson and Findus’ series has sold more than four million copies, and is translated into over 20 languages, including Russian, Hindi, Faroese, Basque and Vietnamese.

“The Pettson and Findus stories have reached almost cult status in Europe and in the 40 countries where these books are sold,” says publisher and translator Julia Marshall. “I was surprised to find the English rights still available.”

Nordqvist’s work has also been adapted for cartoon, film, theatre and computer games — the feature film based on his books had an audience of 1.3 million viewers when shown on German TV and was nominated for awards alongside Pokemon and Harry Potter.

The books themselves have received many awards including the Swedish Literature Award.

Visit www.geckopress.com for more information.


ENDS

The Fox Hunt, written and illustrated by Sven Nordqvist
Translated by Julia Marshall of Gecko Press
Format: 32pp paperback and hardback versions, 29x21.5cm
Price: paperback $16.99 hardback $29.99
ISBN: 0-9582598-4-4 (pb) 0-9582598-7-9 (hb)


Gecko Press specialises in English versions of European books by well-established authors and illustrators, which have a strong track record in their own and other countries and have won international awards.

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