Children's Books2013 · Age 6+
Night Guard
Synne Lea
Taking their cue from settings that children recognise, these poems investigate concepts such as dreaming, longing and friendship. The familiar and intimate is transformed into a limitless, all-encompassing world.
The illustrations are dream-like but real at the same time. Synne Lea and Stian Hole have together created Nattevakt, a different, image-rich collection of poetry.
‘Nattevakt is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read, all whilst remaining both shrewd and witty... The text and illustrations blend in an exemplary manner - this book ought to be regarded as one of the most significant publications of the past decade. This is a shining example of literature for all ages that defies adherence to one category in the way that it says something fundamental about being human.’NUMER (Volume 4/2013)
‘… It’s nice to see that publishers are willing to make room for poetry for children filled with awe and significance. A book like Nattevakt shows how a combination of images and text can create its own sense of poetry, in addition to being quite stunningly beautiful. Together the images and text create new layers and opportunities for interpreting events. Nattevakt reveals how well suited picture books are for poetry collections. Is this book too advanced? I tend to think not.’DAGBLADET
‘Nattevakt has become a remarkable collaborative project in which the words and pictures work together to expand and develop one another... The poems are written for children, and there is good reason to believe that they will hit home with many young readers with astute observations imparted through well-selected words. But even so, they shine with vigour and have a great deal to offer adult readers... There’s so much life to be found within the illustrations. They appear to explode before your eyes! Not quite like a full-on explosion, but would it be right to say an implosion? There is certainly a quiet energy within them – something held back. VÅRT LAND ‘These are thoughtful texts, almost like perceptions of situations and voices... The texts are held together by a running theme of family life. Illustrator Stian Hole lifts the book’s poetic dimension in an astounding manner. With characteristic precision, lightness of touch and what I would describe as purity, he rolls out one visual treat after another.’AFTENPOSTEN ‘The most sensational of this year’s Brage Prize candidates has to be Nattevakt, bringing together Synne Lea’s enigmatic poetry, written simply and brimming with revelations and sudden little abysses, and complemented by Stian Hole’s strikingly beautiful, Magrittesque compositions... The fact that many children will come to love these poems goes without a doubt, but the book contains no safe adult hand to lead the child reader through the wonderful world of its poems - nor is it characterised by a loving adult perspective of shrewd child philosophy. Quite the opposite, in fact, with talk of poems that gladly reveal a fundamental insecurity to be found in adult-child relations, most specifically in the bond between mother and child.’BARNEBOKKRITIKK
‘The short verses are open and inviting, containing numerous questions and not many answers, making for some surprising reflections. They challenge the reader to view reality from a different perspective, whether young or old... Hole’s illustrations are intended for children, filled with secrets yet tangible, whilst Lea’s poetry is allusive and unobtrusive.’DRAMMENS TIDENDE ‘Long-awaited poems for children (and for you).’Best Books of the Year 2013, VG
