Wake Up, Let's Play!

Marit Törnqvist was born in 1964 in Uppsala, Sweden and divides her time between the Netherlands and Sweden. She studied illustration at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. In 2011 she was awarded a Golden Plaque from the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, one of the most prestigious children's illustration awards. In 2024, Marit was the winner of the esteemed Johannes Vermeer Award, the Dutch state prize for the arts, the first time the award was presented to a specialist in children's book illustration.

'A celebration of childhood and friendship, replete with imagination, ambition, and even a bit of mischief… Touching, memorable, exquisite.'--Kirkus Starred Review'With gorgeous, detailed scenes of children playing, this simple board book has very few words, encouraging children to interact with the beautiful artwork in their own way... We love the simplicity of the story and the lovely illustrations of the daily life and play of small children. Each page provides a new activity to explore and new games to play, lending itself to a day long story exploration. The settings are vivid and relatable and the book invites children to think of their own special places and games they share with friends.'-- Seven Stories'I like the soft style of the illustrations and all the vibrant colors. The children look like they are having the time of their lives playing and imagining together.This board book is adorable from start to finish!'-- Books for MKs'Törnqvist's watercolor and fine black lines make for very literal illustrations with lots of bright colors and recognizable objects to identify. This is a large format board book and there's lots to look at once you open the pages, with the illustrations coming right to the edge of the page...The concept is strong and the illustrations are charming.'-- Youth Services Book Review, 5 stars