It’s a fairytale nightmare of the highest quality, a heartfelt history lesson written in flames, a poem.”-Comics Beat,
[STAR] “Painful yet unforgettable… [this] Finnish fairy tale sees the damage that gods, mothers, and daughters are willing to inflict upon one another, all under the guise of love.”-Booklist (starred),
“A haunting but playful feast for the eyes. Oksi interprets an age-old story with inimitable vision and grace.” -Foreword Reviews
[STAR] "A must for libraries with folklore and world culture collections."-School Library Connection (starred),
[STAR] “Fluidly rendered in inky bw washes; accents of color leap off the page as the translation by Aronpuro flows smoothly.”- Publishers Weekly (starred),
“Dark, complex, and gratifying. With its ethereal fairy-tale quality, this quietly challenging story of parents and children translated from the original Finnish is visually powerful and emotionally compelling.” -Kirkus Reviews,
[STAR] “Rich. Radiant. Arresting. A breathtaking exploration of generational connection and the ways that damage can pass down from mother to daughter as easily as love.”- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred),
“Originally published in 2018 in Finnish, this newly translated graphic novel mixed science-fiction, fantasy, and Finnish mythology. The story follows a mother bear protecting her children and adopted creature, while the deities in the sky watch over them. A peek at these lush and emotive illustrations, has us very excited to read this book.”-The Mary Sue,
“Enchanting. Dreamlike, startling, magical”-GeekDad ,
"This painful yet unforgettable Finnish fairy tale explores the damage that gods, mothers, and daughters are willing to inflict upon one another under the guise of love. Negative space emphasizes solitude and desolation through inky backgrounds and white, tree-shaped gaps between panels." - Booklist
"This graphic novel adaptation of a translated Finnish folktale is a breathtaking exploration of generational connection and trauma, following the story of a mother bear, her cubs, and a magical girl with no clear family. Radiant, ethereal digital art accompanies the subtle storytelling to create a truly exceptional offering." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books,
"This Finnish book (translated by Silja-Maaria Aronpuro) was also a surprise, more Angela Carter than Emily Carroll, a dark fairy tale about the violence of love and family, rendered in inky watercolors with color that stands out like inlay. Mari Ahokoivu is one to watch for the future for sure, an artist who’s unafraid to wade into a frozen swamp of mud and blood and fire and show how beauty and danger can coexist." - The Comics Journal,
"There’s something Promethean at work here, with humans receiving the gift of fire only to turn it to violence, and Ahokoivu renders that flickering, fascinating substance repeatedly with an awareness of its transformative power. It might as well be the life force of the critters we create, who will build a new world that we didn’t anticipate. The book keeps slipping through my mental fingers when I try to grab it tightly and look at its pieces, but I think that’s a strength and not a weakness. Its ability to create an atmosphere and strong emotional ripples that stay with us is impressive.” - The Comics Journal,
09/01/2021
Gr 6 Up—Translated from Finnish, this graphic novel import blends Finnish and Karelian mythology and folklore in a stunning package. As the book opens, Umi, a mother bear, hunts a moose and brings it back to the den for her cubs, including Poorling, a shadowy humanoid creature with a shock of hair and an inquisitive mind. Desperate to be a real bear like the others, Poorling secretly practices shape-shifting and other magic with a waterbird called Scaup. As Scaup teaches Poorling songs of the old gods, Poorling discovers that she is at the center of the divine Emuu's plot to bring Umi back to the heavens. Jarring violence suggests that things may not go as planned—for the gods or for Poorling. But is it too late for Poorling to stay with her mother forever? The first graphic novel from Levine Querido, Ahokoivu's 13-chapter epic is a stylish standout. Her style blends cute and creepy, with a darkly whimsical story line akin to Studio Ghibli and Cartoon Saloon films. The restricted, grayscale palette mixes ink, watercolor, and digital techniques to create a distinctive look. Pops of color—red, yellow, rainbow—electrify the pages with magic and swirling hand-lettered text. The inventive paneling, usually rounded and oblong and without borders, deftly incorporates setting and brings the forest to life through layering. A concluding note on characters' names provides additional information, though not enough to contextualize the folklore for unfamiliar readers. VERDICT A visual feast—and artistic feat—best suited for larger graphic novel collections.—Alec Chunn, Eugene P.L., OR
