Further Information

Us humans all have different ideas about how the world works. Most of us, at least in the Western hemisphere, live by the same worldview. It is mostly built on our knowledge of the world and changes as our knowledge increases and technology advances. As centuries have passed,incredibly intelligent individuals have provided us with new information that have changed our knowledge and view of the world. Albert Einstein revolutionized our worldview with his theory of relativity. And centuries ago there was only a handful of people that didn’t believe the world was flat,which was on the contrary to what most people observed and understood at the time. The bravery, courage and curiosity of people like Socrates and Galileo enriched society with knowledge so powerful, no one’s life was ever the same as it once was before acquiring this knowledge. This knowledge did not go away with its founders, but rather transcribed itself into every human. Our view of the world and of human existence changed because of one piece of knowledge.

These exceptional individuals, along with ordinary people like you and I, all contribute something to the ideas we have about the world, although differently. We create hypothesis and theories, so, and then we test them in various ways. Scientists do it with experiments and research while you and I may rather do it with observations and everyday experiences. Sometimes we learn something new that changes our personal world-view and thus deduct the ideas that we’ve had about the world throughout the history of time.

THE STORY

Hugrun is a curious and brave troll girl that is a bit different from her fellow trolls. She has a dream that can only come true if she challenges old and rooted ideas. For centuries, trolls have avoided daylight like the plague, as they turn into stone when the sun shines. Hugrún is ready to question this centuries-old belief to fulfill her dream. She asks important questions and analyzes facts from fiction to get to the truth.

Hugrun’s story encourages children to think critically in search of new knowledge. It sends the message that it’s okay to be different and to doubt what society deems acceptable.

The story of Hugrúnu is intended for the age group 3-7 years.

THE AUTHOR
My name is Sunna Gudnadottir and I have an MA in Cultural Management and a BA in Psychology. For the past few years I’ve worked as a Project Manager at the Department of Culture and Tourism at The City of Reykjavik. I have two children aged 5 and 13 and live in Reykjavik. The story of Hugrun came to me a few years ago and it wasn’t until a while ago that I finally wrote down what has now become an illustrated children’s book. I’m looking for your support to publish the book.

THE ILLUSTRATOR
Tatiana Kucher illustrates the book with unique and handmade beautiful water colour drawings. Tatiana is of Russian origin but has lived in Prague for the past eight years.

“ Hi, my name is Tatiana and I´m an illustrator. My biggest aspiration in illustration is to show the right mood and to create the atmosphere. To achieve it I use different media (watercolour, pencils,gouache,collage) and borrow colours from nature. Nature and universe are the greatest sources of inspiration for me, it can be seen in my art. I don't want to be a sophisticated artist and I´m happy to create something useful for people that can be understood by the smallest children-best judges. The biggest praise and happiness for me is when children appreciate my drawings as they are the most honest audience. For quite a long time creating patterns for textile, illustrations for web and other things I’ve been dreaming of illustrating a children’s book. In September I made a series of mystic drawings inspired by the nature of Iceland. Sunna noticed them and contacted me. I´m excited to take part in working on this book as I like the story, Iceland and nature.“

THE COLLABORATION
My interest in illustrations arose when I lived in Prague for three years around the turn of the last century. The Czech Republic has a strong tradition for illustrations and is the birth place of many of the world’s best known illustrators. My children are half-Czech and so our bond to the country is strong, which is another reason why I found it interesting to search for an illustrator in Prague. I came across Tatiana’s illustrations and was instantly moved and knew that I had found the right person to breathe life to the story of Hugrun.

THE AWESOME PEOPLE THAT HELPED ME
I would like to thank Kristín Viðarsdóttir for taking on the role of an editor of the book and believing in me. I would also like to thank my dear and lovely friends for supporting me in this process with proofreading, with wonderful engorgement and believing in me no matter what. Those awesome girlfriends are Inga, Ragnheiður, Þórunn, Signý and Brynja. I would also like to thank the father of my children for being there for me and supporting this project as the graphic designer behind the layout of the book. Thank you for being such an awesome person and father to our children. I would also like to thank a beautiful person, who touched my heart and therefore had an unexpected but decisive influence on this journey of mine. My heart is full of gratefulness for all of you.

I dedicate this book to myself as a child. Finally, after a long painful process, I have started loving this sensitive shy little girl that had no chance through the tough social selection during her years in primary school. The book is last but not least dedicated to my beautiful children Líf and Bjartur. They are my world.