Goran's Great Escape

A Swedish farm family’s plans for Easter Day are disrupted when Goran, their huge bull, escapes from his stall in the barn. No one can catch Goran until Karl, a seven-year-old boy who happens along, knows what Goran really wants – to be scratched between his horns. Calmed, Goran allows himself to be led back to the barn and Karl goes home richer by two coins and a dozen eggs.

A low key story, in contrast to the lively style of many current picture books, Goran’s Great Escape invites the reader in (‘Let’s find out what happened’) and asks to be shared by child and adult. Originally published in Swedish in 1991 and now appearing for the first time in English, it has the timeless feel common to many of Lindgren’s tales, and is well-served by Törnqvist’s illustrations. The opening and closing endpapers each show a different line of people behind a fence expressing varied emotions as they all look at the adventure which is revealed within the pages as Goran goes on the loose. The watercolour illustrations have a cool Nordic feel, capturing a time and place that is past but not dated. The landscape format of the pages is well-used with events strung over double-page spreads in some instances and in others vignettes on the verso point to what is happening in a larger illustration on the recto. Delightful.