Leelo Tungal facts for kids
Leelo Tungal (born on June 22, 1947, in Tallinn) is a famous Estonian writer. She is known for her amazing poems and stories, especially for children. She also works as a translator, an editor, and writes stories for musical shows, called librettos.
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About Leelo Tungal's Life and Work
Leelo Tungal studied Estonian literature at the University of Tartu. After finishing her studies, she had many interesting jobs. She worked as a teacher and an editor. She also helped the Estonian Puppet Theatre with their plays. Later, she became a freelance writer, meaning she wrote books and articles on her own.
In 1994, Leelo Tungal started a children's magazine called Hea Laps (which means "Good Child"). She was the main editor of this magazine until 2019. She has written more than 80 books! These include stories and poems for children and young adults. She has also written librettos for Estonian composers. These are the words for songs in operas or musicals. Leelo Tungal has also translated many children's poems and plays from languages like Bulgarian, English, Finnish, and Russian.
In 1994, a song with her lyrics, "Nagu merelaine" (Like a Seawave), represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1994.
Leelo Tungal's Family
Leelo Tungal was married to the composer Raimo Kangro. They have three children who are also very creative. Their daughter Maarja Kangro is a writer. Another daughter, Kirke Kangro, is an artist. Their third daughter, Anna-Magdaleena Kangro, is a cultural critic.
Leelo Tungal's Wonderful Books
Leelo Tungal has written many books, both poetry and stories. She is especially loved for her books for children. Here are some of her well-known works:
Poetry for Young Readers
- Kummaliselt kiivitajad kurtsid (Peewits weirdly complained) (1966)
- Õitsev kuristik (Blooming chasm) (1974)
- Veni, vidi, vidiit... (1979)
- Raamat ja kask (A book and a birch tree) (1979)
- Mullaketraja (Soil spinner) (1981)
- Tedre mäng (Grouse game) (1982)
- Valguse aine (The substance of light) (1986)
- Ainus kangelastegu on naeratus (The only heroic deed is a smile) (1994)
- Käsi on valge, süsi on must (Hand is white, charcoal is black) (2002)
- Täisminevik (Past perfect) (2007)
Children's Poetry Collections
- Koera elu (A dog´s life) (1976)
- Hundi lugemine (Reading Wolf) (1978)
- Väike ranits (Little satchel) (1982)
- Tere-tere (Hello-Hello!) (1985)
- Vana vahva lasteaed (Old spunk kindergarten) (1988)
- Ema abilised (Mother´s helpers) (1991)
- Kirjad jõuluvanale (Letters to Santa Claus) (2001)
- Lepatriinu faksiga (Ladybug with fax) (2004)
- Lätikeelne jäätis (Latvian ice cream) (2006)
Popular Stories and Novels
- Ilus vana naine (Pretty old Lady) (1978) - A collection of short stories.
- Neitsi Maarja neli päeva (The Virgin Mary´s Four Days) (1980) - A novel for young people.
- Seltsimees Laps ja suured inimesed (Comrade Kid and the Grown-Ups) (2008) - This is a special book about her own childhood.
- Samet ja saepuru (Velvet and Sawdust) (2009) - A follow-up to "Comrade Kid."
- Naisekäe puudutus ehk Seltsimees laps ja isa (A Woman´s Touch, a.k.a. Comrade Kid and Dad) (2018) - Another sequel in the "Comrade Kid" series.
Children's Fiction Favorites
- Pool koera (Half a dog) (1983)
- Kartul, lehm ja kosmonaut (Potato, cow and a cosmonaut) (1986)
- Kristiina, see keskmine (Kristiina, the Middle One) (1989)
- Barbara ja suvekoerad (Barbara and the Summer Dogs) (1991)
- Vampiir ja pioneer (Vampire and pioneer) (1993)
- Jõuluvana, kes kartis lapsi (The Santa Claus Who Was Afraid of Kids) (2010)
- Vanaema on meil nõid (Our Grandma is a Witch) (2014)
- Jänesepoeg otsib sõpra (Joseph the Bunny Looks for a Friend) (2015)
- Lumemees Ludvigi õnn (Ludwig the Snowman´s Lucky Day) (2016)
- Delfiin Delila suur sõber (Delilah the Dolphin´s Whale of a Friend) (2017)
Her Books Around the World
Many of Leelo Tungal's books have been translated into other languages. This means children and adults in other countries can enjoy her stories too!
- Barbara and the Summer Dogs has been translated into Russian.
- Barbara and the Autumn Dogs has also been translated into Russian.
- Bundle the Piglet can be read in Finnish.
- Comrade Kid and the Grown-Ups is available in Latvian, Lithuanian, and Russian.
- The Felix the Hedgehog series has been translated into Russian.
- A Half of a Dog is available in Russian.
- Hello-Hello has a Russian translation.
- Juku, Kalle and Klabautermann in Tallinn is in Finnish.
- Kristiina, the Middle One has been translated into Russian and Finnish.
- Ludwig the Snowman´s Lucky Day is available in Latvian and German.
- The More the Merrier has a Russian version.
- Potatoes, Cows and Cosmonauts was translated into English.
- Tales of Miriam is available in Russian.
- The Tilk Family Goes to the Song Festival has a Russian translation.
- Velvet and Sawdust can be read in Russian.
- The Virgin Mary´s Four Days is also available in Russian.
Awards and Recognitions
Leelo Tungal has received many awards for her wonderful writing. Here are some of them:
- 1995 Karl Eduard Sööt Award for children's literature (for "Happy Birthday!")
- 1997 Annual Children’s Literature Award of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia (for "We Spook! We Haunt!")
- 1999 Julius Oro Award for children's literature
- 2000 Karl Eduard Sööt Award for children's literature (for "It Sure is Good!")
- 2007 Karl Eduard Sööt Award for children's literature (for "Latvian Ice Cream")
- 2007 Muhv Award for promoting children's literature
- 2008 Harjumaa Kultuuripärl (The Culture Pearl of Harjumaa)
- 2010 IBBY Honour List (for "Comrade Kid and the Grown-Ups")
- 2010–2014, 2017, 2019 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award candidate (This is a very important international award!)
- 2013 Good Children’s Book (for "Carrot Works as a Carrot")
- 2014 The Merit Award “With Children and For Children” of the Ombudsman for Children, for her lifetime work.
- 2015 Ferdinand Johann Wiedemann Language Prize
- 2016 Good Children’s book (for "Ludwig the Snowman’s Lucky Day")
- 2017 Annual Children’s Literature Award of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia (for "Hallo!")
- 2018 National Lifetime Achievement Award for Culture
- 2018 Hans Christian Andersen Award nominee (Another very important international award!)
- 2019 Viru County Literary Award (for her "Comrade Kid" trilogy)
- 2019 Baltic Assembly Prize in Literature
