This is original, funny, sad and made in such an exquisite way, both gently and with a huge amount of humor, that any reader is rendered helpless to its charm and the author's ingenuity.

I can't remember when I last read a book that's as much for young kids as for old ones.

Pettsson, an old man who lives in the countryside, is in need of a friend. He thought about getting himself an old lady, but then again, naw, that'd be too much trouble. Something smaller, perhaps? Well, a dog! No...it'd require too much attention? But how about a little cat? his friend asked. Well...

The day after his friend had brought along a box which read "Findus green peas" [Findus being a household brand in Sweden]; as he opened the box, Findus stood on all fours, tiny as a button.

They instantly became best friends, and one day, as Pettsson was reading the paper about a clown, Findus' first words were "I want pants like that!".

This marks the start of the tale which is only a bunch of pages long, and is utterly remarkable because of several things. Nordqvist is an absolutely fantastic and remarkable writer as well as an extremely meticulous and funny illustrator. Findus comes alive with every stroke of his pens, and what goes on in the background - constantly! - makes for great re-reads.

I'm 34 years old and really nearly wept upon seeing Findus crying while hiding from a "monster". Art moves me, I guess. I realise the author hasn't really created any monsters or black-and-white imagery which feels great to me; I hate it when people try to present two diametrical versions of good and bad, without anything in-between - which so often is the case.

All in all, this is an absolutely brilliant tale and I'm very glad to see that it's available in other languages as well. Long live Pettson & Findus, as well as Sven Nordqvist!