Dog City: Rosa Moves to Town

I have been dreaming of the day when I would cross paths with a picture book set in Stockholm! I have at last found one, and may even have found a few more -- but will not be certain until my holds come in at the library.

The canine titular character in Barbro Lindgren's Rosa Moves to Town has just moved to the city, which is "not at all like their old home." On her walks Rosa discovers all sorts of interesting dogs, babies, and  intriguing discarded item on the pavement. Rosa's interest in small objects is her downfall, however. She ingests part of a dog toy and must undergo surgery at the veterinarian hospital. The surgery is successful

Given that it is set in one of my favorite cities, I can't help but wish this was a better book, although in fairness it is possible something might have been lost in the translation. The story is a bit disjointed but dog lovers and dog owners will probably find something to enjoy. (Full disclosure: I am not a dog lover.) I did like the way the book opened by drawing our attention to a part of the city that people ignore, but is fascinating for dogs: the sidewalk. From Rosa's perspective: the "chewing gum, pebbles, corks and stale hot-dog buns -- now that was fun!"

Eva Eriksson's colored pencil illustrations are appealing and I adore the opening image of Stockholm across the water. Most of the illustrations are closeups of the dogs but there is a nice one of Rosa on a walk in Gamla stan.

If you love dogs or just really, really want a picture book set in Stockholm, you might want to check Rosa Moves to Town out from the library.

Want More?
Playing by the Book has a great round-up of Swedish picture books in English translation.