Swedish Picture Book of the Year / Molly & Sus

Klara Persson’s Molly & Sus has been named the best Swedish picture book of 2012. Following the announcement in connection with Littfest 2013, the book’s original pictures are now on show in an exhibition at Bildmuseet.

Molly & Sus is the story of twins who have always been together. They are spiritually and physically inseparable. Their braids were interwoven from birth. “But it’s so difficult to get dressed when your hair is like this! And why must Molly ride her bike so slowly when Sus wants to go really fast? Why must they bump into one another all the time? HELP! What are they to do?” One day, they decide they have grown tired of never being able to do things on their own. On a whim, Sus cuts their braids, and suddenly they can go their separate ways.

Klara Persson, author and illustrator of the book, received the recently established Snöbollen [Snowball] prize in March 2013; the only award in Sweden to give recognition to the picture book as an artistic medium.

Molly & Sus is Klara Persson’s first book. In the spring, she was also announced the winner of the annual Slangbellan [Slingshot] prize — best debut in the category of children and young people’s literature 2012, awarded by the Swedish Writers’ Union. She is one of 31 illustrators taking part in the Illustration Exhibition at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in March 2013. Her second book, Maximilian & Minimilian, is due out at the same time.

Klara Persson is studying design at HDK. The book Molly & Sus started out as a degree project for her studies.