Praise for Odds and Ends

STARRED REVIEW! ? "Hurme's skillfully rendered art and thoughtful text capture the range of emotions children experience, while helping them reflect on their feelings and observations in new ways... Children will open this one again and again, smiling, thinking, soaking in the beauty, feeling respected and understood."
Kirkus Reviews

STARRED REVIEW! ? "[A] young narrator presents a literary volume of 'lasts' in Hurme's affecting picture book... Evocative moments... include the mundane, the transformative, and the profound... The final collection offers a piercing portrait of the many ineffable moments that make up a life."
Publishers Weekly

STARRED REVIEW! ? "At turns whimsical, thought-provoking, and heartbreaking, this sentimental picture book invites readers of all ages to celebrate the 'lasts' in life... Atmospheric pencil and watercolor illustrations form a scrapbook of memories and moments the child narrator collects."
Foreword Reviews

The book follows a girl who collects different 'lasts.' ... The tone is heartwarming, funny, and thoughtful. Just the right kind of SEL book to prompt conversations between teachers/students & parents/children on the lasts that they have had over their own lives. Think of it as an oddball memory book. This is about how kids look at the world and what they notice.
A Fuse #8 Production

About the Author

Maija Hurme is an illustrator, writer, and graphic designer who spends half of her time working with children’s literature and illustrations. Hurme, who lives in Helsinki, Finland, has illustrated many books for children. Her books have been nominated for the Nordic Council’s Children’s Literature Prize, the Finlandia Junior Prize, and the Arvid Lydecken Prize. She likes to find inspiration for her stories in her own and others’ children; nature; small, strange objects; and the environment. Mia Spangenberg holds a PhD in Scandinavian studies from the University of Washington, with a focus on Finnish literature and cultural studies. She is a 2017 graduate of the Finnish to English literary translation mentorship program organized by FILI, Finland’s literary organization. Spangenberg is passionate about championing international children’s literature and writes articles for WorldKidLit about picture books from around the world.

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