How to Comfort a Monster - by Jesper Cederstrand (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

A child wakes up ready to play, but this morning he hears a strange noise coming from outside his bedroom.

On the other side of the door is a giant crying monster. The child tries to offer comfort. The child's arms won't fit around the monster for a hug. The child's hand disappears in the monster's giant paw. The child's hanky is drenched by the monster's huge tears. But eventually the monster settles and tells the child that his company is enough. Then they play a game of hide and seek.

How to Comfort a Monster explores big emotions, the challenges of comforting someone through them and the importance of being there for people (and monsters) even when the tears seem like they'll never end.

About the Author

Jesper Cederstrand is a writer and radio host, working for Sweden's national radio broadcaster since 2014. He's written hundreds of scripts for children's radio shows, as well as science and culture podcasts. Jesper has a Master of Fine Arts degree in screenwriting from the Norwegian Film School. How to Comfort a Monster is his first book translated to English.

Clara Dackenberg is a children's book illustrator and artist. She has been nominated for the August prize, the Elsa Beskow plaque and the Runeberg Junior award, and was awarded the Ilon Wikland scholarship. She likes to use elements of collage and paper cuts in her pictures and has a particular preference for sculpting in fresh wood.

B.J. Woodstein is a Swedish-to-English translator, writer and editor, as well as an honorary professor of literature and translation at the University of East Anglia. B.J. lives in Norwich, England, with her wife and daughters.