Irene Hedlund facts for kids

Irene Hedlund, born on March 8, 1947, is a talented Danish artist. She is famous for illustrating children's books. She also writes her own stories. Since 1981, Irene has drawn pictures for books by well-known Danish writers. These include Thøger Birkeland and Klaus Rifbjerg. Besides books, she has designed cool signs and posters. Some of her designs were for LEGO and the Danish Road Safety Council.

Irene Hedlund's Early Life and Education

Irene Hedlund was born on March 8, 1947. She studied art at the Danish Design School in Copenhagen. She finished her studies in 1982.

Her First Illustrations

Irene's first published drawings appeared in 1981. They were for Thøger Birkeland's book, Rasmus og Hængekøjen. She finished all the illustrations for this book in just one month!

Creating Her Own Stories

In 1983, Irene wrote and illustrated her own book. It was called Evige Bjerg og de tre stærke kvinder. For this book, she took a whole year to create the pictures. She wanted them to be perfect. The story was a Japanese tale. Her illustrations showed bamboo, mountains, and old, twisted trees. She also added pretty frames around her pictures. This made them even more beautiful.

Illustrating for Klaus Rifbjerg

Irene also illustrated Klaus Rifbjerg's book, Da Oscar blev tosset, in 1990. This story was about a child's first time at kindergarten. At first, kindergarten seemed scary to Oscar. But Irene's pictures helped show how he eventually felt comfortable. Her illustrations made the idea of going to kindergarten seem more welcoming for kids.

Other Books She Wrote and Illustrated

Irene Hedlund has created many other interesting books. She wrote and illustrated Den grådige kat (The Greedy Cat) in 1988. This book is about a cat that eats everything it sees! Another book she created was Den arrige kone (The Angry Wife) in 1986. This story is about a pig keeper. He has to deal with his angry wife to live a happy life.

Helping Kids Learn to Read

Irene herself found it hard to learn to read when she was young. Because of this, she wanted to help other children. In 1991, she illustrated Lærke og Jeppe - året rundt. Her husband, Bent Faurby, wrote this book. Irene's drawings in this book look like comic strips. This makes the book more fun for young readers. The pictures help guide readers through the story. They point to the parts of the text that explain what is happening.