The Wound - by Emma Adbage (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From the "Mo Willems of Sweden," award-winning author/illustrator Emma Adbage captures a funny and true-to-life story about a little boy who hurts himself at school and is suddenly thrust into the spotlight

Awarded Best Swedish Picture Book of 2022

For readers of The Day You Begin and A Letter to Amy, The Wound similarly captures the humor and emotional growth that comes during common childhood experiences and their impact on a boy's sense of identity, belonging, and self-acceptance.

Feel the rush of the game as you dash around the ping-pong table, laughter and shouts filling the air. Your heart races. Then, a sudden stumble sends you tumbling down, and the world pauses--a sharp pain, a bloody knee. For a moment, for a week, you're the center of attention. You bask in a warm glow of sympathy and curiosity from your peers. But as days pass and the wound heals, the whispers fade and the crowd shrinks.

But what happens when life returns to normal? The fleeting spotlight, once thrilling, leaves you wondering about who you'll be once the bandage comes off ...

International picture book star Emma AdBåge is a master at capturing life on a schoolyard: the games, friends, and group dynamics. The Wound, honored as the Best Swedish Picture Book of 2022, is now available in English for the first time.

Review Quotes

"Both my four-year-old and I really like this book and can read it over and over again. [Adbage] really captures emotions in a good way in both text and pictures. The way she connects everyday events with emotions really invites dialogue between child and adult."-- "Goodreads Reviewer"

"Charming and wonderful reading [...] I appreciate its simplicity and the lack of a gender formulation in the pictures."-- "Goodreads Reviewer"

"The book's title, The Wound, already draws the reader into an everyday drama with an existential basis. A child is injured and the stage is the school [...] Rarely has the wound's path from flowing blood to solidified scab - and finally a shiny scar that can evoke memories - been depicted with such nerve! "--Jury Comments "August Prize"

"With winsome mixed-media illustrations that capture all the most telling details, and a fine-tuned ear for the way kids think and talk, Adbåge understands the fun that can be found in a child's everyday reality."--Maria Russo on Adbage's The Grand Expedition "The New York Times"

About the Author

Emma AbBåge is a Swedish illustrator and author who debuted in 2001 and has since illustrated several titles, both her own and others. She has won several awards, including the Elsa Beskow Plaque and the Lennart Hellsing Prize. In 2018 she won the August Prize for THE HOLE BEHIND THE GYM, and was also awarded the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 2022 for the same title.

AdBåge's stories and illustrations make everyday emotions and experiences both immediately recognizable and richly interesting. Her stories and drawings are observant, succinct, humorous and perceptive. With their carefully drawn lines and gentle colors, AdBåge's illustrations combine small details with bold characters, whose bodily postures and facial expressions give a distinct insight into what they think and feel.

Her works have been translated into over 20 languages.

Melissa Bowers is a translator and editor living in Seattle, Washington. She is an ATA-certified Swedish-to-English translator and seasoned copy editor whose work spans picture books, graphic novels, poetry and academic manuscripts by non-native English authors. Her recent literary translations include Emma AdBåge's The Wound (Arctis Books, Oct 2025), Moa Romanova's Buff Soul and Goblin Girl (Fantagraphics Books), and Liv Strömquist's The Reddest Rose (2023), while her non-fiction credits encompass legal and governmental documents, subtitles QC, and translation samples for literary agents. As a copy editor since 2013, she specializes in refining academic manuscripts for clarity and voice. Melissa holds an MFA in Literary Translation from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a certificate in Technical Writing & Editing from the University of Washington, and she earned a 2021 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material for her translation of Goblin Girl.