Jonty and the Giant Pike follows a father and son who build a fishing pond in their backyard, and things do not go as planned. What was the inspiration for your story?

This book has two sources of inspiration. The first is summer, which is a familiar Finnish summer to me. It includes many things about nature, such as lakes and forests. People may spend the summer in the countryside in summer cottages with their families. In Finland, the lakes and seashores are essential for summer holidays – and many people like fishing. When I write about summer, I get in close contact with my inner child, for whom summer is an incredible time of discovery.

This book has another even more concrete background. My children and I have encountered a similar adventure with a giant pike, as I have told in the book’s plot. We encountered such a large predatory fish, which accidentally got into our yard pond and ate the fish planted there during the summer. The king pike finally got into trouble when the pool had to be emptied in the fall. We would have lifted it back into the pond to eat its delicacies there, but the longing for freedom won. In my book, I changed the plot’s ending to make it better for the pike. Now, I will reveal to you what happened next in real life.

During our break from this pond cleaning work, the pike pushed itself out of the temporary storage box and bounced toward the open water. Unfortunately, its strength ran out, and it collapsed on the hot beach sand. That’s where I found it and mourned its fate. I buried the fish in a beautiful spot near the shore because I didn’t want to throw it into the water for other animals to eat. So this pike became soil, from which perhaps new plants sprouted.

When you first sat down to write this story, did you know where you were going, or did the twists come as you were writing?

As I revealed in my previous answer, this story is based on an exceptionally authentic series of events – except for the happy ending I created. For this reason, writing was, this time, more like retelling a relatively recent memory in a way suitable for a storybook.

Although my favorite kind of writing is the one where I am completely free, sometimes it’s nice to tell my own childhood memories a little tuned and twisted. As a mother and grandmother, I also have many fun topics about other children’s real lives.

When I write children’s books, the fairy tale’s topic and entire content take over my head as a ready-made package. It often causes such a strong feeling that I rush to write. The first version is created then as if driven by a storm wind. I’m just an aid to bring it into the world. When I write such stories, the whole story is already more or less complete and ready. Sometimes, a character might start making additional demands on me, for example, if I forget to write down something important related to him. I enjoy it when the story has its own will.

Do you enjoy fishing? If so what draws you to it?

As a child, I spent a lot of time by the lake. At first, I watched my father fishing, and gradually, I could participate in different ways. It started with simple angling, and soon, I could try other equipment as well. I’ve never been a keen fisherman, but the moments together at the lake have been significant. While fishing, it is possible to relax and chat with your partner.

Sometimes, the experience can also be exciting, like raising the nets with my father just as a thunderstorm rose over the bay. But we managed to get to a nearby island in time, where we sorted out the badly tangled nets by hanging them on the trunks of pine trees. It took some patience!

I spent much time at the beach while my children were learning to fish. Sometimes, the fish catch was so plentiful that I was in a hurry to pick up small fish from the sand and the dock before they got away. Helping the smallest fishermen was also quite a job, as I constantly had to place new baits on their hooks.

But the joy when the children succeeded in catching something rewarded all the effort. We have always made food from their catch, even if children had just one tiny fish. You learn to make a surprisingly tasty fish soup even from that!

Fishing often also involves being together and exchanging life experiences across generations. I still remember a summer evening twenty years ago when my little one was fishing with his grandfather. The little boy sincerely admired the older man’s ability to wait patiently and catch the fish at the right moment – a valuable lesson.

What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?

Writing summer books is fun because I have so many warm memories of my childhood summers. I often make children do things beyond their abilities. The most important thing is not a perfect success but a good attempt.

In this book, I want to write about a child’s enthusiastic summer plans, which the whole family participates in. Family moments together are important topics.

However, the most important message of this book is related to the relationship between the boy and the pike. A giant pike is something unique that accidentally gets into the boy’s garden pond. It’s exciting for him to follow, and the boy tries to control it like a pet.

I want readers to consider whether capturing a wild, free giant pike in a small pond is right. We must choose whether to hope for the boy’s success or the pike’s freedom.

In this book, the pike and nature win! Maybe I want to give exactly that message: nature cannot and must not be subjected to too much.

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Jonty loves to fish, so he and his dad build a fishpond in their yard. The pond takes a lot of work and maintenance, but Jonty is thrilled to have the chance to fish for rainbow trout.The most exciting catch of the summer, however, is a giant pike, which Jonty catches from the dock on the lake. By accident, the hungry fish winds up in the fishpond! Even though there’s plenty of food available, the pike doesn’t like being imprisoned in a pond. Then one day it tries to escape!