Ann-Christin Waller & Anni Wikberg (ill.)

In the fairytale På en trollsländas vingar (“On the wings of a dragonfly” in English - unpublished) we meet five children who get embroiled in various fantasy-filled adventures. Seven-year-old Julia is woken up in the middle of the night by a talking firefly and flies to El Dorado to write a book about the golden land using a magic pen. Meanwhile, eight-year-old Oskar has been told that all life will come to an end one day, and he worries about what will happen after death. In his dream, he is accompanied by a nightingale to a stump that has existed forever, which can offer Oskar some reassuring answers to his questions. Another little boy, Erik, meets Poseidon, the god of the seas, whom he manages to bribe with blueberry pie so as to have better luck while fishing. And finally we meet the two babies, Abis and Bebis, who fly around on a cloud above the earth, looking down at the people to choose the right family to move in with. They finally find the place and the family that feel right. They then land on earth and get their names: Sofia and Alma.

The author Ann-Christin Waller uses existential reflections and dreams in her book På en trollsländas vingar. She uses the traditional fairytale genre to address interesting questions about life, death, and human existence. Waller puts her own mark on the text by including Ålandic dialectal words and expressions in the stories. På en trollsländas vingar contains a motley selection of fantasy-filled stories that are perfect for reading aloud, as this enables adults to pick up on their children’s thoughts and ideas, which can lead to worthwhile conversations between them. The colourful illustrations are provided by Anni Wikberg, who has worked with Waller on several book projects.