The Stranger

Muukalainen

A heart-warming picture book illustrates how the most unlikely friendships can blossom when different worlds collide.

A little mouse, who cherishes solitude and prefers the small and quiet things in life, finds his peace disrupted by loud knocking at his door. The mouse chooses to pretend he’s not at home rather than opening the door. In fact, the mouse finds the stranger’s persistent and showy attempts to forge a connection between them most annoying. However, a delightful and timely plot twist eventually gets rid of the stranger, and a friend emerges in his place.

Kati Närhi beautifully celebrates the value of diversity and the joy found in discovering common ground with others. Through a journey of heartwarming discovery, the story challenges our preconceptions about making friends and reminds us that every cherished friend was once a stranger.

Kati Närhi’s first wordless children’s picture book Missing won the Purple Island Prize in the Nami Island Concours (South Ko-rea) in 2023 and several other international accolades. Kati has also previously won the prestigious Graphic Novel Finlandia Prize with The Seventh Guest. Närhi’s graphic novels have been nominated for the prize three times, and published in French, Italian and Czech.

Material

Finnish edition
English translation