Johanna Unt (b. 1982) is an Estonian children’s author and illustrator who has published four books over the past four years. Her debut, House Sprites (Majahaldjad), skilfully blends everyday life with the inevitable mystery of the world – after all, who has not inexplicably lost their car keys or had items of clothing mysteriously disappear in the washing machine? Her 2024 book Augustas Saves the World (Augustas päästab maailma) was nominated for the Cultural Endowment’s children’s literature award. The protagonist, a fourth-grade boy, begins by colouring in a map of the world, but this seemingly ordinary activity leads him to broader questions about consequences and responsibility. Her latest book, published this year, is A Very Serious Snowman Story (Üks väga tõsine lumememmelugu), whose not-at-all serious plot unfolds in a sleepy small town hosting an annual snowman-building competition. The confusion begins when the theme is announced as the intriguingly ambiguous “Important Figures in History”.
Johanna Unt
