BROWN

Håkon Øvreås (born 1974) has previously published two poetry collections. Brown is his debut as a children’s author.

Øyvind Torseter is an artist and one of Norway’s most acclaimed illustrators. He employs both traditional and digital picture techniques and has created six picture books on his own and many others with different authors. Torseter has received numerous prizes for his books, which have been translated into many languages. My Father’s Arms Are A Boat (Enchanted Lion Books, 2012) was his first book to be published in the United States.

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Kari Dickson grew up bilingually, as her mother is Norwegian and her grandparents could not speak English. She holds a B.A. in Scandinavian studies and an M.A. in translation.

Nominated for the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis 2017
Winner of the German Luchs des Jahres (Best Children and YA Book) 2016
Winner of the Dutch Zilveren Griffel (Silver Pen) 2015
Selected as Top 10 Teacher’s Choice by China Education Newspaper 2015
Winner of the Nordic Council’s Literary Prize for Children and Young Adults 2014
Winner of the Ministry of Culture’s Literature Prize 2013 (Best Children’s and Young Adults Book)
Winner of the Trollkrittet Prize 2013 (Norwegian Children’s/YA book Writers’ debut prize)
Nominated for the Brage Prize for Children and Young Adults 2013

“In this enormously charming book we meet three little superheroes, each equipped with a bucket of paint…Øyvind Torseter’s beautiful drawings show us what it’s like to feel small and out of place in a big world. They also evoke the warmth of the friendship between the children…Warmly recommended!”—Aftenposten

“The jury has rarely agreed so strongly about a decision as this one … [Øvreås] writes so well for kids that you would think he has never done anything else…a warm and bittersweet super hero story, which is also an excellent book to read together for kids and adults.”—From the jury statement, Trollkrittet Prize (Norwegian Children’s and YA Book Writers’ debut prize)

“Brown is a warm and powerful story of friendship and courage, full of creativity and everyday magic.”—From the jury statement, Nordic Council Children’s and Young People’s Literature Prize

1. How would you describe Rusty?

2. By the end of Brown, Rusty and his friends have all created superhero identities. How are Brown, Black, and Blue different Rusty, Jack, and Lou?

3. Why do you think Rusty decided to paint things brown?

4. Rusty has several conversations with his grandpa throughout the book, but on the first page we learn that Grandpa has just died. Do you think that’s really Rusty’s grandpa sitting on the rock? Why or why not?

5. Is Rusty’s pocket watch really broken? Or is something else going on?

6. Anton, Ruben, and the Minister’s Son really have it out for Rusty and his friends. Have you ever noticed someone being mean to someone else? What did you do? How would you like someone to respond if that were happening to you?