We Don't Like Victor - by Daniel Sjölin (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The children don't like Victor, the man with the ponytail who keeps visiting their mom. To make matters worse, they suspect she is in love with him: He calls. He makes her giggle. It's insufferable! They try everything to get rid of him: tying him to a tree, locking him in their tree house, supplying him with their worst stuffy, and feeding him bread and water for all eternity.

But no matter what they do, Victor is always so nice. He helps them take care of their horses and he keeps coming back when they think he should just stay with his own kids. From award-winning illustrator Eva Lindström and author Daniel Sjölin comes a charming and hilarious story full of heart, about welcoming new faces and the many definitions of family.

Review Quotes

Praise for Eva Lindström

"Eva Lindström's enigmatic picture world is constantly transforming. Trees move abroad, dogs take on giant proportions and objects vanish, suddenly to reappear. With rapid brush strokes and dense colouration, Eva Lindström creates an ambiguous dialogue of text and image. The border between children, adults and animals is fluid. With great gravity and wild humour, they wrestle with the eternal questions: Who are we? Where are we going? Who took our hats?"--jury of the 2022 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Prize

★ "This is a refreshingly unsentimental and matter-of-fact take on being different, devoid of heavy-handed moralizing or intervention from adult characters. The children's interpersonal dynamics and body language are left for young readers to absorb and ponder, and they'll linger over both text and art--and be heartened by Alf's trajectory. A delightful celebration of acceptance in all its forms."--Kirkus Reviews

"In this Swedish import by Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award-winning author-illustrator Lindström, Alf is a child who knows his own mind... Lindström's quirky gouache-and-watercolor illustrations are full of subtle details that suggest the child is much more fascinated and absorbed by water than he proclaims. Alf cleverly finds a way to enjoy swimming with his friends and creatively keeps his head above water. A buoyant picture book about facing fears and staying true to oneself."--Booklist

"Vividly relaying intense early experiences of pain and of pleasure, Lindström (The Bridge) portrays a child who is comfortable with their own feelings and resourceful enough to hold space for them."--Publishers Weekly

"In this Swedish import by Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award-winning author-illustrator Lindström, Alf is a child who knows his own mind. Lindström's quirky gouache-and-watercolor illustrations are full of subtle details... (a) buoyant picture book about facing fears and staying true to oneself."--Booklist

About the Author

Daniel Sjölin is a writer, critic, editor, and program host. He has written several picture books, including Morsan är haffad, illustrated by Klara Bartilsson.

Eva Lindström is one of Sweden's most celebrated picture book authors and illustrators and the 2022 laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Her award-winning books have been adapted for the screen and translated into numerous languages, including French, German, Chinese, and English.

Saskia Vogel is an award-winning author and translator of over twodozen books from the Swedish language. She was Princeton University's Fall 2022 Translator in Residence, and a finalist for the 2021 PEN Translation Prize and the 2024 National Book Award. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she now lives in Berlin.