Representing the best
Finnish authors abroad
Finnish authors abroad
Eight tender, charmingly illustrated and deeply relatable tales about animal families navigating the familiar emotional ups and downs of life with young children. Maaret Kallio’s expert guidance gently leads each emotionally charged situation towards understanding and a way forward that leaves both child and grown-up with a lighter heart.
Understanding our feelings is key to understanding ourselves and others. Kallio’s new Forest of Feelings series opens with eight animal tales ranging from tender and funny to exciting and adventurous, each helpful for a child to recognize and explore their own feelings as well as those of others. At the heart of these stories is compassion – towards ourselves and one another – as the best way forward.
Each story also reinforces the essential three messages for all children to hear: they are accepted and loved just as they are, they are only beginning to learn how to navigate their feelings, and it is always the grown-ups who carry the responsibility and keep them safe. A fearful bunny, an angry and wilful bear cub, a subdued caterpillar, a badger cub missing his mum, a skunk making progress with potty training and a goldcrest enjoying some quiet time alone – all are learning something new, not least about themselves.
Through its humanized animal characters, the series offers just enough distance for children and grown-ups to look at familiar situations afresh. Kallio’s expert understanding gently guides each emotional tangle towards greater understanding, compassion and a solution that helps everyone move forward.
The series is charmingly illustrated by Kati Vuorento, whose tender, expressive artwork perfectly complements the warmth of Kallio’s stories. A second Forest of Feelings book is scheduled for publication in May 2027.
Finnish edition