The Svensson family celebrate Saint Lucia day in this engaging and enlightening picture book from expatriate Swedish author Ewa Rydåker and Swedish illustrator Carina Ståhlberg. The fun begins the night before, on December 12th, as Mama, Papa and the three children—Sofie, Louise and Carl—make preparations, baking special treats like pepparkakor (ginger snaps) and Lussekatter (Lucia buns), and making sure that the white Lucia gowns and the Lucia crown are ready. Then, on the big day, the children—in a procession led by Sofie as Sankta Lucia—take the treats to their father, and then to their grandparents, singing the Lucia song as they go. A special day at school, complete with Lucia Day pageant, rounds out the fun, and the children return home exhausted but happy. The book closes with the story of Saint Lucia, recipes for pepparkakor and Lussekatter, the music for the Sankta Lucia song, and instructions for making Lucia gowns...

Originally privately published in 2002, Lucia Morning in Sweden was reprinted in this paperback edition by the Minneapolis-based Nodin Press in 2014. Apparently the idea for the book had its origins in author Ewa Rydåker's participation in the American Swedish Institute, after she and her family moved from Uppsala, Sweden to Minnesota, and she discovered how many Swedish-Americans still cherished the Lucia Day celebration brought to America by their ancestors. Noting the dearth of titles devoted to these customs that were available for children, she set out to create one, with this happy result. I enjoyed the story here, with its focus on an ordinary, loving Swedish family, and their celebration of this big day, and found the accompanying artwork from Carina Ståhlberg colorful and appealing. I appreciated the additional material at the rear, especially the note on Saint Lucia and Saint Lucia Day customs in Sweden, as young readers not already familiar with the subject might be a little lost. Recommended to anyone looking for a fun, contemporary children's book on Saint Lucia Day, as it is celebrated in Sweden. For my part, I intend to track down this author/illustrator team's look at Swedish Midsummer celebrations. ( )