Anna Fiske

“Smaller than a cherry, but bigger than a grain of rice.” That’s how Anna Fiske’s warm and timeless story of Lille løve (“Little Lion”, not translated into English) begins. Lille løve is a tiny toy figure, held on the opening spread between thumb and forefinger like a small treasure. And although it is small, the emotions are huge: the protagonist loves Lille løve. 

Mum warns against taking Lille løve out into the world: “Mum says it’s foolish to love something so small. Small things can disappear, and then there will be sorrow and tears.” Yet Lille løve is brought along to nursery all the same, hidden inside a mitten like a small secret. Then the inevitable happens: Lille løve is lost. Not once, but twice. The catastrophe is a fact. 

The story is about intense love, about loss – and about the memories that remain. Lille løve is drawn with a line and technique that children can easily recognise. Wax crayons in clear, vivid colours carefully depict Lille løve across different external and internal landscapes. We’re continually introduced to new spaces: a pocket, the house where Lille løve lives in the heart, the labyrinth where Lille løve has been lost. Squares and circles create a visual thread, and the book alternates between full spreads and pages composed of comic-strip panels. We see the full range of Fiske’s artistry; the analogue, playful, and sensory visual language forms a refreshing whole. 

An interesting device is that we never really see the protagonist. We see a hand, small figures within a landscape, but never a face and never a name. It’s Lille løve that stands at the centre. For that very reason, the child’s inner life feels especially close. 

As is often the case in Fiske’s work, a bridge is built between the worlds of children and adults. For an adult reader, it’s easy to recall memories from one’s own childhood: an all-consuming love for a soft toy, or the feeling of carrying a secret in a damp mitten on the way to nursery. 

In the end, Lille løve is gone for good. But where is it, really? Perhaps out on new adventures. The ending is open and invites further imagining – and a continued life in memory. 

Anna Fiske (b. 1964) is an author, illustrator, and comics artist. She has written and illustrated nearly 70 picture books and received numerous awards and distinctions. Her works have also been translated into many languages.