Author: Chiara Stanziani

Les Léonides has acquired the World French rights to Matara by Matias Riikonen.

Wonderful news: Les Léonides has acquired the World French rights to Matara by Matias Riikonen, marking the fourth foreign deal for this title.

Matara is the story of boys who spend their summers building realms of their own. Senators scheme in togas made of sheets, mannequins make for wives, and the Republic of Matara is run like any other state: it has laws, traditions, and faces conflicts.

Matias Riikonen’s fourth novel takes children seriously in a way few other works have. In Riikonen’s hands, the birdsong-filled woods of early summer and the boys’ violence and tenderness meld into superb, startling literature. At times one forgets one is reading a portrayal of boys at play; at others, one fears one is reading a description of reality. Matara was a success in Finland, where it won the Torch-Bearer Prize and the Jarkko Laine Award, and was nominated for both the Runeberg and the Finlandia Prize, the two largest awards on a national level. The German edition, out with Karl Rauch Verlag, has also been a critical success.

Les Léonides is a newly founded and ambitious publisher based in Paris, part of the Les Nouveaux Éditeurs publishing group. The group, founded in 2024 by former chairman of Hachette Livre Arnaud Nourry, gathers independent French publishers. Les Léonides is helmed by Dana Burlac, the former literary director of éditions de L’Observatoire, and their list includes French authors Marie Charrel, Pauline Gonthier, Guillaume Perilhou, Claire Deya, Anaïs LLobet, Emilie Houssa, Jean-Michel Fortier, and more. Their translated titles include works by authors like Elain Vilar Madruga, Elin Cullhed, Anneli Jordahl, Sacha Bonet, and Joe Westmoreland.

In Finland, Matara is published by Teos.

Congratulations to the author and the publisher, and don’t miss out on this title!

The German rights to the A Dog Called Cat series by Tomi Kontio & Elina Warsta (ill.) have been acquired in a five-book deal by Jupitermond Verlag. This is the 11th foreign language territory for the series.

A Dog Called Cat is continuing its journey out into the world: Jupitermond has acquired the German rights to the series by Tomi Kontio and Elina Warsta (ill.) in a five-book deal, marking the 11th foreign language territory for the series.

The A Dog Called Cat series follows a dog who has been named Cat by his mother to prepare him for a life on independence. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way independence has turned into loneliness, and Cat is about to lose hope when he finally meets a true friend in Weasel, a homeless man who becomes his best friend and life companion. The duo is soon joined by a cat called Dog, and the three friends share a life of heart-warming adventures that explore tough social themes while proving that happiness and a sense of belonging can be found even for those with a harder lot in life.

In A Dog Called Cat and the Last Arctic Fox (2024), Dog, Cat, and Weasel travel to the Finnish Lapland along with their new friend Tiger. On the beautiful nature adventure, the group saves an Arctic fox and once again confirms the importance of friendship and belonging.

The series began with A Dog Called Cat, then followed by A Dog Called Cat Meets a Cat (2019), A Dog Called Cat Looking for Home (2020), and A Dog Called Cat and the Wonder of Christmas (2021). In Finland the series is published by Teos.

Jupitermond Verlag is a Germany-based publishing house founded in 2020 with the goal of combining high-quality children’s books and a social mission to touch on sensitive themes and subject in a delicate and inclusive way. Their books deal with inclusion, diversity, bullying, and ecology.

Warm congratulations to the publishers, and don’t miss out on this series!

The Dutch edition of A Giraffe’s Heart Is Unbelievably Large has been awarded the Silver Paintbrush Award for the best illustrated children’s book of the past year.

Wonderful news for our children’s list: the Dutch edition of A Giraffe’s Heart Is Unbelievably Large by Sofia Chanfreau and Amanda Chanfreau (ill.) has been awarded the Silver Paintbrush Award (Zilveren Penseel) for the best illustrated children’s book published in Dutch in the past year.

The Dutch edition of the book is out with Lannoo, in translation by Sophie Kuiper.

A Giraffe’s Heart Is Unbelievably Large is a wonderful story where magical realism meets the quest after one’s own origins and it has been enchanting publishers all over the world in 17 language territories since its release and, on top of having sold over 10.000 copies in Finland, it has also won the most important literary award in the country, the Finlandia Junior Prize, in 2022.

This illustrated novel for middle grade readers is a tale of longing to be part of a family, to find one’s place in the world, and to be loved as one is.  Whenever ten-year-old Vega, who has always lived with her father, tries to ask about her mother, the only answer she gets is mysteries. Once a not-so-nice girlfriend starts dating her father, and Vega gets an unexpected pen pal, she decides to set out on an adventure to find out more about her mother. The book is a superb read for a child alone or for parents and children together.

In Finland, the Chanfreau sisters are published by Schildts & Söderströms.

Warm congratulations to the authors and the publishers, and don’t miss out on this wonderful title!

The Unknown Kimi Räikkönen by Kari Hotakainen is travelling to Turkey, where it will be published by Fihrist.

The Unknown Kimi Räikkönen, the authorised biography of the Formula 1 World Champion penned by Kari Hotakainen, is now travelling to Turkey, where it will be published by Fihrist.

The Unknown Kimi Räikkönen is the story of a man of humble origins, who made his way to the top of an unusual profession, race driving. In this book we hear, apart from Kimi Räikkönen himself, from his mother, brother, wife and trusted friends. Others have their say, too: drivers, team bosses, mechanics, his physiotherapist, his manager, and an ordinary Formula 1 fan. The book tells about Kimi’s driving, family, trust, leisure, and the dramatic moments of his life up to now. The story in the making is going to be fantastic, humorous and moving, and will also open up a breathtaking world for those with no interest in motor sport.

Kimi Räikkönen (b. 1979) is a Finnish Formula One racing driver. He is famous not only for winning the World Championship and being one of the fastest drivers in the sport, but also for his dislike of media buzz, of his blunt one-liners, and of his dark sense of humor.

Kari Hotakainen has been awarded the Nordic Council’s Literature Prize, Finland’s biggest literary award, the Finlandia Prize, the Prix du Courrier International and the Prix Coup de Coeur, amongst others. The Unknown Kimi Räikkönen (2018) is his first non-fiction book and the best-selling Finnish nonfiction work of all time. Hotakainen’s works have sold over 700 000 copies in Finland.

The Unknown Kimi Räikkönen was originally published by Siltala in 2018, and became an immediate hit in Finland and internationally. Its World English rights were acquired by Simon & Schuster, securing a nice deal and unprecedented visibility for a Finnish work of non-fiction.

Fihrist is a Turkish publishing house with the declared mission to bring to the Turkish reading public internationally known works of high literary quality, unpublished classics, as well as contemporary literature from across the world, both fiction and non-fiction.

Warm congratulations to the author and the publishers!

Koinonia has acquired the Hungarian rights to A Dog Named Cat and the Last Arctic Fox, the fifth book in the beloved series by Tomi Kontio & Elina Warsta (ill.).

Lovely news for our children’s list: Koinonia has acquired the Hungarian rights to A Dog Named Cat and the Last Arctic Fox, the fifth and final book in the artistic and moving series by Tomi Kontio & Elina Warsta.

A Dog Called Cat is a touching series about finding friendship and the things truly important in life. It tells the tale of a small dog. She is called Cat by her mother, because cats are independent, and the young one must learn to be independent. Soon, Cat realizes, however, that often being independent only means being lonely. But one day things change, and then Cat is not alone anymore. From there, Cat’s adventures begin to unfold. In A Dog Called Cat and the Last Arctic Fox (2024), Dog, Cat, and Weasel travel to the Finnish Lapland along with their new friend Tiger. On the beautiful nature adventure, the group saves an Arctic fox and once again confirms the importance of friendship and belonging.

The series began with A Dog Called Cat, then followed by A Dog Called Cat Meets a Cat (2019), A Dog Called Cat Looking for Home (2020), and A Dog Called Cat and the Wonder of Christmas (2021). In Finland the series is published by Teos.

Koinonia is a Romania-based publishing house who publish in Hungarian. Their list consists of carefully picked titles, and pride in publishing translated literature from smaller countries and minority languages. They have successfully published the previous books in the Dog Called Cat series.

Congratulations to the authors and the publisher!