Áslaug Jónsdóttir, Kalle Güettler and Rakel Helmsdal

Áslaug Jónsdóttir (ill.)
Photographer
Einar Falur Ingólfsson
Áslaug Jónsdóttir (ill. and text), Kalle Güettler (text) and Rakel Helmsdal (text): Skrímslaerjur (Monsterbråk), 2012

The books about the little and the big monster have found a large readership, both in Iceland and in other countries. With these "human" monsters the authors have created particularly funny and interesting characters which children can easily relate to and adults can have fun with. The monsters' relationship with each other is both beautiful and complicated and in this book, which is the seventh in the series, there will be a split between the monsters and things are about to go wrong.

Skrímslaerjur (Monsterbråk) brings out many of the series best features. Pictures and text are interwoven into a whole - a work of art - from start to finish. In this way, the reader is encouraged to read the pictures and the text as a whole - the interaction between these two factors is particularly well and creatively done.

The book's text is simple and becomes part of the image artwork with simple pictures and strong collage design as well as with people clear characteristics, exaggerated facial expressions and sweeping body language. The books' ingenuity and psychological depth reaches children both emotionally and intellectually.

Áslaug Jónsdóttir is an illustrator, children's book writer, artist and graphic designer. She has won several prizes for her art, for example, the Dimmalimm Prize for illustration of books for children.