Available Formats
Brown
By (Author) yvind Torseter
By (author) Hkon vres
Translated by Kari Dickson
Enchanted Lion Books
Enchanted Lion Books
4th June 2019
United States
Children
Fiction
839.8238
Winner of German Luchs des Jahres (Best Children and YA Book) 2016 (Germany)
Hardback
136
There's a mysterious new hero in town and his name is BROWN! BLACK follows. Who will be next
Rusty's grandfather has just died. And Anton, Ruben, and the minister's son all have it in for him. But with his grandfather's broken pocket-watch, two cans of paint, and a little help from his friends, Rusty can do anything! Just as long as nobody's parents find out.
The first book in a highly popular, award-winning middle-grade series from Norway, Brown has been sold into twenty-seven languages and is illustrated by the now-familiar and beloved yvind Torseter. A fun, satisfying read accompanied by excellent visual storytelling.
"Brownachieves a perfect balance between excitement and introspection, melancholy and humor Torseters drawings, with the light washes of color that accompany them, deliver laughs and other emotions as needed.Dicksons translation is swift and assured. Sentences are direct, with nary an adverb to be found. Aside from the universality of its themesdeath, bullies, friendship, and growing upthe books power and charm arise as much because of whats left out as whats included. The presence of technology, for example, is distant; this could be a story from 60 years ago, and the book benefits from the absence with an increased focus on its characters.Brownis a wonderful book that deserves the many awards its received, among them the Norwegian Ministry of Cultures Literature Prize. English-speaking audiences will eagerly await translations of the next two books in the series.STARRED REVIEW, Peter Dabbene,Foreword Reviews
"A reader doesn't finishBrown. One simply closes the book at the end of the words and pictures and allows it a bit of heart space in which to live."Connie Griffin,BookWorks
"The simple pen and ink illustrations add greatly to this fun story of good vs. evil." STARRED REVIEW, Katrina Yurenka,Youth Services Book Review
"Small, fine-lined ink drawings with color highlights on nearly every page supply this tongue-in-cheek escapade with evocative vignettes depicting Rusty's flights of fancy, quizzical-looking parents and other grown-ups, and masked prowlers in homemade outfits." Kirkus Reviews
The jury has rarely agreed so strongly about a decision as this one ... [vres] writes so well for kids that you would think he has never done anything else ... a warm and bittersweet super hero story, which is also an excellent book to read together for kids and adultsFrom the jury statement, Trollkrittet Prize (Norwegian Children's and YA Book Writers' debut prize)
Brown was Hkon vreas' first book for children and received numerous awards, including the Norwegian Ministry of Cultures Literature Prize in 2013. The translation rights for Brown have been sold to 30 languages. He has also written several collections of poetry for adults.
yvind Torseter is a Norwegian artist and illustrator who has created eight books on his own and several with other authors. Hes received numerous awards for his books, including a Bologna Ragazzi Award and the Norwegian Book Art Prize. In 2014, yvind was a finalist for the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. Other titles with Enchanted Lion Books include: My Fathers Arms Are a Boat, The Hole, Why Dogs Have Wet Noses, The Heartless Troll and others.