Mamma Moo on a swing
Text: Jujja and Tomas Wieslander, 1993
Illustrations: Sven Nordqvist, 1993
Rabén & Sjögren, 2019
“You’re a cow, Mamma Moo. Cows. Don’t. Swing.”
“Right, that’s just the point,” said Mamma Moo. “It’s a real shame that cows can never go on a swing.”
“Shame!” called Crow. “Caw! Cows spend their time grazing. And then they lay down and chew and gaze about. And then they go in and get milked. They’re satisfied with that.”
“Not me,” said Mamma Moo. “You don’t always have to just stand there and gaze about, just because you’re a cow.”
Jujja’s comments about the book
After we saw the first book that Sven Nordqvist had illustrated, we understood what his illustrations could mean for the stories. We immediately changed tack and began making picture books. ‘Mamma Moo on a swing’ was immediately a great success, even abroad. I think that the cover of the book is the illustration that perhaps best describes Mamma Moo: Ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling, here’s a cow on a swing! Self- secure, powerful and with an appetite for life