Right from the age of 1-2, they’re simply hooked on Kaj, which is hardly surprising - the boy is small, chubby and optimistic - that is what the newspaper said when
Mats Letén was awarded the Illustrator Prize for the books Kaj siger hej (1995) (Kaj says hi), Kaj, smukke Kaj (1996) (Kaj, beautiful Kaj), Hatten I natten (1996) (The hat in the night) and Manden med spanden (1996) (The man with the bucket). This is undoubtedly the highest praise you could give the author of books aimed at toddlers.
The storyline of the Kaj books is simple, but the small events are geared to the
child’s pace. Kaj does things, which children identify with, and that is why they love him. Kaj, smukke Kaj finds Kaj and mum on a visit to the beach. Kaj finds a pair of sunglasses, plays with them, they disappear, reappear, Kaj puts them on and mum says “Kaj, beautiful Kaj”.
The two other books for which Mats Letén was
awarded the Illustrator Prize have no real storyline, but involve the child in the text through an interaction with the words and the pictures.
There are other books written by Mats Letén, which are worthy of mention. His first children’s book Yrsa Hansen (Yrsa Hansen) was published in 1983, and the real break-through came with the books about Lotte og Larsen (1994) (Lotte and Larsen). The Lotte books are aimed at slightly older children and the storyline is a little more complex. The illustrations, which accompany the text, however, show the same friendly, round faces.
Letén was born in 1949 in Sweden, but has lived in Denmark since he was twelve and is therefore considered ‘our’ author. His books are also published in large numbers in both Norway and Sweden.
(2001)
