A story placed very much in today's world
Rabén & Sjögren is a leading publishing house for children’s books in Sweden. Founded in 1942, the company today publishes around 150 books per year, targeted at kids aged between and 19.
“One of the most important pillars in our business plan is of course promoting children's reading,” says Jenni Blom Castenfors, Publishing Director, Rabén & Sjögren. “If you don't start to read when you're little, you won’t read as a grownup. And reading skills are essential for many things, including education and even democracy. You have to have a population that can read.”
Opening doors to other worlds
“Reading is also important because it opens doors to other worlds and feeds your imagination,” adds Castenfors. “So we promote children's reading first and foremost by publishing good books. We give children books that they really enjoy. That's the foundation.”
One of Rabén & Sjögren’s latest books is a feel-good novel called “Sa du Bonjour?” (Did you say Bonjour?) by Jenny Clevström. Targeted at 9–12-year-olds, the novel is about a Swedish girl who has a successful baking video blog on YouTube. When she finds out that she must move to Paris she thinks her life will be ruined, but she Instead finds friendship and love.
“It’s a story that is placed very much in today’s world and which today’s children can identify with,” says Castenfors. “And it is a really feel-good read. Feel-good books that raise feelings or emotions are effective in terms of getting kids engaged. Children in a certain age are very sensitive to strong emotions and want to identify with characters experiencing the same things. I think that is the fact with this book.”
Reading becomes easy on Holmen BOOK paper
Like many of Rabén & Sjögren’s books, “Sa du Bonjour?” is printed on Holmen BOOK paper. “The choice of paper is important for several reasons,” says Ylva Jonsson, Production Manager, Rabén & Sjögren. “First and foremost, for the sake of readability and creating the best possible conditions for the eye’s ability to perceive the words. When this works well, it becomes easy to read and engage with the book’s content. This is particularly important for encouraging children to read books.
“The paper’s surface, color, thickness and texture also affect the reading experience and how the book is perceived visually and emotionally,” adds Jonsson. “A matte, uncoated paper provides a warm and natural feeling suitable for a text-based book and prevents disturbing glare or reflections."
The format, weight and tactile sensation also influence how the reader experiences the content. These aspects work together to strengthen the book’s message and purpose.
Trend: Reading defines who you are
With children today spending so much time on screens and gaming and streaming platforms, there has been much focus on a loss of interest in books among young people, and a consequent negative effect on reading skills.
But there is also a growing trend among older kids, Castenfors says, in which ownership of physical books is becoming important. “We see a trend beginning where older kids want to be seen with physical books. We see kids on the social media platform BookTok showing off their beautiful bookshelves. The book is being seen as a kind of a status symbol. It defines who you are. We are also seeing kids reading books on screens or streaming books and then wanting to own the physical book because they liked it so much."
“We are the Swedish publishers for Harry Potter,” adds Castenfors. “When the illustrated editions were published, the Potterheads wanted to own both the classic books and the Illustrated editions. Kids want to own deluxe editions of books with beautiful pictures that really stand out. And people are even willing to pay more if the book is beautifully designed with elements such as exclusive paper.”