Background
Wikland was born in Tartu, Estonia and raised in Haapsalu, Lääne County on Estonia"s Baltic coast.
Wikland was born in Tartu, Estonia and raised in Haapsalu, Lääne County on Estonia"s Baltic coast.
She was met by Astrid Lindgren, who had just finished writing the book Mio, my Son and who could see immediately that Ilon was able to “draw fairytales”.
In 1944 she escaped with the family of a classmate from the second Soviet occupation of Estonia, to Sweden. She arrived in Sweden as a refugee. In 1953, Ilon applied for a job as illustrator at Rabén & Sjögren.
Ilon did a test-drawing for the book and after that her collaboration with Astrid Lindgren continued.
Ilon has said that Astrid’s writing continually makes her see inner pictures. She also derives inspiration for her pictures from real life.
In the same way that Astrid Lindgren wrote for “the child within her”, Ilon often also draws for the child within her. Ilon Wikland is the artist who has illustrated the greatest number of Astrid Lindgren’s books:
The Six Bullerby Children (aka The Children of Noisy Village)
The Children on Troublemaker Street
The Brothers Lionheart
Karlsson-on-the-Roof
Mardie
Mio, My Son
Nils Karlsson Pyssling
Ronia the Robber"s Daughter
Seacrow Island
The Ghost of Skinny Jack
Sunnanäng.
She has also provided the illustrations for many picture-books by Lindgren and many other writers, including The Dragon with Red Eyes, I Want a Brother or Sister, That’s My Baby, Brenda Helps Grandmother, Simon Small Moves in, and The Borrowers.