Crane's Map – An Adventure in the Aaltos' Forest
When illustrator Eri Shimatsuka and author Reetta Niemelä began working on the picture book The Crane's Map – An Adventure in the Aaltos' Forest, they had already created one book together. This time, the subject took them into a completely new area – the world of design and architecture, following in the footsteps of Alvar and Aino Aalto.
“Eri brought the idea of Aaltos and we talked about it for a long time with Jenni and Réka even before the book was published,” Reetta says. “It was exciting to step into a new topic, but I wanted to approach it boldly – Aaltos also invented new things and combined things without asking permission.”
photo: Eri Shimatsuka
From nature to architecture – and back again
Eri had previously made a calendar of buildings designed by the Aaltos, the pages of which could be used to make postcards.
“During the Corona period, I thought that people could use the calendar to 'travel' to different parts of Finland through Aalto's architecture. When Etana became interested in writing a book on the subject, it was clear that we would need a story for it – and Reetta was a natural partner.”
For the book, Eri studied Aalto's architecture in depth and noticed how nature, light and materials were present in their work. “My husband grew up in a house designed by Aalto, and maybe that's why I understand their thinking in a special way. I was impressed by how important light was in their homes – and that also comes through in the book.”
Waves create adventure
The main characters of the book were Bunny and Bear, who set off together on a journey through the forest to see Crane.
“Eri created the characters and I found their voices,” Reetta says. “They are like friends who support each other – each brave in their own way. I wanted the child to get the message: there is not just one way to be strong.”
The crane soaring above the forest was created from a real photograph from the Aaltos’ yard. “The crane combines Finnishness and Japaneseness – it is an important symbol in both cultures. And through it, we were able to also depict the landscape from above in the book, just as the Aaltos looked at the terrain when designing their buildings.”
The legacy of waves through the eyes of a child
Making the book was both a broad and profound process.
“The most challenging thing was the amount of material about Aaltos,” Reetta admits. “After reading and researching a lot, I wanted to find a way to bring everything out through play. For example, the gentle color scheme of the Paimio sanatorium was transformed into an amusement park in the book – the joy of colors took on a new form.”
Eri adds: “I combined the organic shapes of the forest with the geometry of architecture. It was fun to experiment with how the leg of Aalto's stool would look as a forest, or how the image of the Savoy restaurant could be transformed into Fox Café.”
Peace and joy
Both authors keep returning to the same image in their minds: the pine forest where Bunny and Bear are walking together.
“It was inspired by the forests of Paimio Sanatorium. I wanted to remind you how important it is to calm down in nature – it has been an important insight both then and now,” Reetta says.
Eri agrees: “The Paimio forest clearing is calming for me, but I also love the amusement park clearing, where Reeta’s idea shined. It’s a playful, shared realization.”
At the sources of creativity
In everyday life, inspiration comes from small and big things.
For Reeta, these include music, gardening, preserving, and insightful books – “as well as all the weird and wonderful things that make you think.”
For Eri, nature, the changing seasons and Japanese traditions are an inexhaustible source. “The vastness and empty space of nature are important to me – it’s where the imagination can roam.”
New adventures await
Both Reetta and Eri dream of Bunny's and Bear's new adventures.
“It would be great if they could go explore a new world once again – maybe again to a place where art, architecture and nature meet,” Reetta muses.
“And at the same time, we could tell children that everything around us is designed by someone – and that their voice also belongs in that design.”
Eri, on the other hand, dreams of illustrating her own stories and perhaps in the future a children's novel in Japanese. "I want to give both children and adults comfort and encouragement to be themselves – and also to improve the world a little."
Crane's Map – An Adventure in the Aaltos' Forestis a tribute to creativity, architecture and friendship – and above all, to a child's curiosity.
The book invites you to see the environment with new eyes: how form and story can meet, and how art can emerge from play.
Crane's Map – An Adventure in the Aaltos' Forest
Text: Reetta Niemelä
Illustration: Eri Shimatsuka
Publisher: Etana Editions
