Rosa the Very, Very Brave Salmon

Rosa the salmon can’t decide whether to calmly stay where she is or leave for the unknown. In the end the itch in her tail pushes her on her way and so Rosa becomes more courageous than ever. She swims against the current, the way that salmon do. Her unpredictable journey through the water, which is sometimes exciting or sad, other times beautiful and full of hope, features tears, drops of sweat, rain, squeezed lemons and far more besides. Her daring brings her both adventure and emotion. She ends up back home again, where she can immediately start dreaming of new voyages.

‘Rosa the Very, Very Brave Salmon’ urges us to be headstrong and to show the bravery it takes to swim against the flow and see what that audacity brings. Wilfulness is reflected in the design; if you hold this tall book the right way and turn the pages, the salmon almost literally moves upwards and Rosa effectively swims against the current. In the narrow, vertical illustrations the playful associations, humour and strong colours stand out. The spare, philosophical text, which leaves plenty of scope for its readers, expresses Rosa’s internal conflict between guts and hesitation, and shows that overcoming your fears can make you stronger and richer.