Mamma Moo and Crow
Text: Jujja and Tomas Wieslander, 1991
Illustrations: Sven Nordqvist, 1991
Rabén & Sjögren, 2020
“Tell me!” called Crow. “What kind of hook is that?”
“Hook?” said Mamma Moo. “It’s a straight.” Crow rolled his eyes. He had to sit down.
“But it’s a nail!”
“Yes, well you can’t put the food on a hook,” said Mamma Moo.
“The fish can get it caught in their mouths. It’s very dangerous!”
Jujja’s comments about the book
For almost ten years, starting at the end of the 1980s, you could hear Mamma Moo and Crow on children’s radio. After more than one hundred programs, Tomas and I realised that we had a manuscript treasure trove in our hands. Could it possibly be turned into a children’s book? This was the first. And later of course there were a few more… The meeting with Sven Nordqvist and his illustrations for this book determined our future for a long time. It was a truly fortuitous meeting! Mamma Moo and Crow’s characters, which had previously only been heard as voices, were now given bodies and gestures with great humour and love. Sven’s characterisation of Mamma Moo and Crow have been decisive for the success of the books.