Author: Tomi Kontio
Illustrator: Elina Warsta
Finnish original: Koira nimeltään Kissa hyvästelee ystävän
Publisher: Teos, 2025
Genre: illustrated children’s fiction
Number of pages: 111 pp.
Reading material: Finnish original, English translation
Weasel has acquired an ancient television set. It doesn’t work, but in the evenings, Dog, Cat, and Weasel imagine programs on it, soap operas that go on forever. Outside, however, spring is at its most beautiful—it’s time to go on a trip. Näätä asks Cat and Dog to accompany him. He advises them, swears them to secrecy, and comforts them: they will never be alone. They have no owner in this world, but they are marked by the love of a friend. A friend who leaves behind only a beautiful, silent memory. But when you look at the dark screen, it comes to life.
This heartwarming book offers the courage to mourn and always start over, regardless of the words of silence. It is the moving conclusion to a beloved series, and is one of the nominees for the Finlandia Junior Prize, the largest literary prize in the country, in 2025.
“An exceptionally beautifully written book about big, everlasting themes: grief, longing, love, and friendship. Heavy as they may sound, the story helps to handle them with hope. It is deepened with warm illustrations of animal love and their point of view.” Finlandia Junior Prize jury committee
About the authors
Tomi Kontio
Elina Warsta