Lena Anderson is an author and illustrator. She illustrates in watercolour, charcoal and pencil. Her illustrations in light, soft colours are detailed and sometimes quietly humorous, while her beautiful, easy-to-read italic handwriting is a feature of many of her books. She writes and draws about inquisitive children, animals and other figures for children who also want to find out and know things. The many books about Maja, Linnea and Linus are for children between the ages of five and nine. The Hedgehog and Pig books are for younger children and the series about Mollan, inspired by Andersson’s grandchildren, and about Rabbit, for the very youngest. All are warm and sweet and have a comforting view of the world. Lena Anderson has also created several books with the writer Christina Björk, including Linnea in Monet’s Garden (for details see under Christina Björk elsewhere in this catalogue.) The inspiration for the popular character of Linnea, both in her looks and the way she acts, came from her daughter Nicolina, who, when she was small, loved sowing seeds and picking flowers. Lena Andersson has won many prizes and honours for her work, including the Elsa Beskow Plaque, the Heffaklump, and with Christina Björk, the Deutcher Jungundliteraturpreis, the Astrid Lindgren Prize and and the Italian Primio Europeo de Litterartuter Giovanira. Her characters have become established as little stars of the children’s world, and her soothing pictures, reflecting her deep love and feeling for nature, especially trees and flowers, are instantly recognizable.