Emma Virke, from the picture book Kom dagen, kom natten, 2020
Kom dagen, kom natten [Come Day, Come Night] by Åsa Lind and Emma Virke has been named Swedish Picture Book of the Year. In connection with the award ceremony in March 2021 during Littfest – Umeå International Literature Festival, the winning book is presented in an exhibition at Bildmuseet.
Kom dagen, kom natten is a book artwork in its accordion format that can be read in two directions. Poetically, the story unfolds, the moments expand and add another rhythm, in addition to the one that marks the shifts of the day. The worries of today are dissipated in the little child's nocturnal Thumbelina-inspired dreams. With a sensual sense of nature, both in the quiet contemplation of the day's description and in the drama of the night, the story lands in the triumphant certainty of awakening.
Emma Virke (b. 1974) works as an illustrator, visual artist, author and graphic designer, trained as a journalist and photographer at the University of Kalmar and Arizona State University. In 2009 she made her debut as a picture book artist and won Natur & Kultur’s picture book competition with her illustrations for Mops written by Eva Lindström. In the autumn of 2017, Emma Virke was awarded the Elsa Beskow plaque for the picture book Klä på Herr H (2016).
Åsa Lind (b. 1958) is a children's and youth author. She has written about twenty books, both facts and fiction. She is best known for the books about Sandvargen and Zackarina. Sandvargen was awarded the Nils Holgersson plaque in 2003. It has been translated into 20 languages and has become a modern classic. In 2014, Åsa Lind was awarded the Kulla-Gulla Prize.
The Snöbollen award for the best Swedish picture book of the year is an initiative by Krumelur – Association for Young Words in the North in cooperation with Umeå Kultur, Kulturföreningen Pilgatan, Bildmuseet at Umeå University, the county library of Västerbotten, Littfest - Umeå International Literature Festival, Mid Sweden University and the Association of Swedish Illustrators and Graphic Designers.
