Irene Hedlund

Irene Hedlund (born 8 March 1947) is a Danish book illustrator and children's writer. Since 1981 she has illustrated books by popular Danish authors such as Thøger Birkeland and Klaus Rifbjerg. In addition to writing and illustrating her own books, she has designed signs and posters for LEGO, the Danish Bibliographic Centre and the Danish Road Safety Council.

Biography Born on 8 March 1947, Hedlund attended the Danish Design School in Copenhagen, graduating in 1982. Her first published illustrations were in Thøger Birkeland's Rasmus og Hængekøjen in 1981 which she managed to complete in just one month. In 1983, as author of Evige Bjerg og de tre stærke kvinder, she gave herself a whole year to create the illustrations to her satisfaction. The Japanese story is aptly enhanced with illustrations containing bamboo, mountrains and gnarled trees. Decorative frames add to the attractiveness of her pictures. about a child's first tentative experiences of kindergarten present an initially frightening but subsequently more relaxed account of how he eventually fits in. The overall effect is to present a more welcoming environment for children confronted with the prospect of going to kindergarten.

Selected publications Hedlund has illustrated a wide variety of children's books. The following have been published in English: