Jenni Erkintalo's book Mato ja meri (Worm and the Sea, not translated) begins when Worm, sitting on the cliffs, dreams of being someone other than what he is. Dreams boil down to the desire to go on a journey.
And soon enough, Worm gets the opportunity to go to sea. As the trip progresses, he becomes speed blind and always wants a bigger and bigger boat. Soon Worm meets a yellow fish and his eyes open.
Does this sound familiar? The constant buying of things and building one's identity with material stuff are probably the worst sins of the 21st century man, which almost all of us in the so called first world has committed in the course of our lives. However, nature can no longer support the life of Western people: a change is necessary.
The illustrated children's book Worm and the Sea is a great way to deal with these rather difficult issues with a child. While reading it, you can enjoy the speedy adventure with the greedy Worm, who will come to his senses in the end. Afterwards you can discuss together why we can't get every toy in the store, or why must garbage be removed from the forest and the sea.
In the book, the text and illustrations carry the story fluently forward. Erkintalo's illustrations combine graphic shapes and a clear basic colours to softer shapes and tones created with watercolors. Yellow, blue and red, combined to fresh white and bold black, create a recognizable seascape. Under the sea surface, another reality can be seen with sea plants and different forms of underwater nature. A fun detail is the wind, which can really blow!
Author: Jenni Erkintalo
Title: The Worm and the Sea
Publisher: Etana Editions, 2019
Size: 20 x 25 cm
Number of pages: 32
Age group: 3+
