Odds and Ends - Hardcover

by Maija Hurme (Author), Mia Spangenberg (Translator)

In this charming translated work from Finland, an imaginative child makes a scrapbook of "lasts" instead of "firsts," inviting readers to reflect on what they hold onto and save.

Some people collect pens, shells, or stamps. Others collect friends, trips, or world records. This picture book shares one girl's unusual collection: a collection of lasts.

With a feel for the poignant, the bittersweet, and the odd, an observant, emotionally astute child shares the whimsical, eccentric, and touching lasts she has collected, from the last day cold enough for a wool cap, to the last anxious breath before a high dive, to the last person in her class to lose a tooth, to the last piece of chocolate, to the last words of a whole life.

Beautifully illustrated in pencil and watercolor, this is an exploration of lasts that might set something new in motion--or might bring finality. There are feelings of fear, sadness, contentment, longing, and happiness here, making for a wistful picture book in which a young girl's collection of last moments is depicted with a warm touch.

Odds and Ends is a collection of memories which invites open discussion of each reader's personal lasts.

Author Biography

Maija Hurme is an illustrator, writer, and graphic designer who spends half of her time working with children's literature and illustrations. Hurme, who lives in Helsinki, Finland, has illustrated many books for children. Her books have been nominated for the Nordic Council's Children's Literature Prize, the Finlandia Junior Prize, and the Arvid Lydecken Prize. She likes to find inspiration for her stories in her own and others' children; nature; small, strange objects; and the environment. Mia Spangenberg holds a PhD in Scandinavian studies from the University of Washington, with a focus on Finnish literature and cultural studies. She is a 2017 graduate of the Finnish to English literary translation mentorship program organized by FILI, Finland's literary organization. Spangenberg is passionate about championing international children's literature and writes articles for WorldKidLit about picture books from around the world.