To Comfort a Monster

Jesper Cederstrand & Clara Dackenberg

“Shall we play?” I asked. But the monster didn’t answer, it just cried and cried.
“I’ll comfort you,” I said.
“I’ll hold you until it’s over,” I said. But my little arms didn’t reach far enough.

To Comfort a Monster is a story about how to deal with another person’s grief. It is a story about a little human being who is trying to comfort and thinks he is failing. But then it turns out that it is a great comfort to have someone stay with you even when the tears seem to never end.
Screenwriter Jesper Cederstrand makes his debut with a picture book story that gets under the skin. Clara Dackenberg depicts the child’s emotions with soft colors and a dizzying perspective. With simple means, the authors show what really matters in encounters between all beings.

Press voices

“Cederstrands text is both heartfelt and exciting. With carefully throughout sentences he describes how a curious kid gets out from his room and without a doubt does everything to help the ginormous creature. /…/ In Dackenberg’s illustrations both hugs and tears take form through cool perspectives and lovely colour combinations. /…/ “To Comfort a Monster” is a book with rhythmic and elegant combines play, sadness, compassion and comfort. It engages and touches from the first page.” Jonna Fries, Smålandsposten

”The debutant Jesper Cederstrands text is stripped down without being mundane, and in a beautiful collaboration with Clara Dackenbergs expressive illustrations which results in the unexpectedly stories that gets new interpretation possibilities with every reading.” Lotta Olsson, Dagens Nyheter

Books illustrated by Clara Dackenberg