What does the famous British boy with a lightning bolt on his forehead have in common with a ginormous, illustrated book about a fantastic bus? Not much, you might think. But in Denmark, the children’s book Den fantastiske bus [The Fantastic Bus], weighing 2.5 kg and measuring 75 cm unfolded, has managed to create a hype not seen since new Harry Potter books hit bookshop shelves more than seventeen years ago (Kirkebæk-Johansson, 2023).
Written and illustrated by Danish children’s author Jakob Martin Strid, the 2023 book tells the story of the shanty town of Ahnstarr City, where little Timo is seriously ill. To save him, a group of animals build a giant bus and set off on a perilous journey to find healing saffron lilies in the mythical land of Balanka. Upon release, the book flew off the shelves, critics awarded it five and six stars, and it topped the year’s bestseller list in the country’s largest online bookstore, Saxo. (You may not be familiar with the Danish children’s book scene, but as an insider, I can tell you it is very rare for a children’s book to top this list). Since then, the book has received numerous awards, most recently the prominent Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize. It was the first-ever Danish children’s book to get this prize. It has been called the most talked about and best-reviewed children’s book in many years (Hilstrøm, 2025) and has already been proclaimed a new classic (Arguimbau, 2023). The Danish Prime Minister even had the book prominently displayed in the background when she gave a televised New Year’s speech on 1 January 2025.
Den fantastiske bus has been called the most talked about and best-reviewed children’s book in many years and has already been proclaimed a new classic.
But how and why do certain children’s books become classics and part of the canon, broadly understood as a collection of works of special importance and value within an artform? What channels affect which authors and books get recognised as especially good, and what ultimately determines whether a children’s book or author ends up as part of a culture’s shared public consciousness? These are some of the questions this article will shed light on. In what follows, I argue that Jakob Martin Strid and his books, including Den fantastiske bus, are in the process of being canonised in Denmark, while highlighting some of the mechanisms that play a role in canonisation.
Understanding canonisation
Before I dive into how Strid is being canonised in Denmark, let us first look at what canonicity means and how canonisation occurs.
According to children’s literature scholar Sara Van den Bossche (2015), canonicity can be defined as “a label of quality indicating a text or writer’s having acquired a certain culture’s fiat to be read as good” (p. 40), while canonisation is “the process of obtaining that mark of quality” (p. 40). The labels ‘canonical’ and ‘canonised’ may refer to both individual works and to an authorship, and in this article I use the terms broadly to include both the canonisation of Strid as an author and of some of his works. I also use canon and classic interchangeably, which is not the case for all scholars.
Canonised works and authorships make up an essential part of a given culture and exist as an indispensable part of a general shared consciousness. Think of the books about Nijntje in the Netherlands, Peter Pan in the United Kingdom, or Pippi Longstocking in Sweden. These are canonised works almost everyone knows about, even without having read them. Typically, canonisation takes place across generations, with older generations passing on works they find particularly good and important to new, younger generations, ensuring that the works remain in the public consciousness (Stevenson, 1997, p. 112). Nostalgia also plays an important role here, as the works that are passed on are generally those that people have a particular sentimental fondness for from their own childhood. However, canonicity is not a fixed label but culturally and historically dependent and subject to change over time. Works and authors can therefore slip in and out of the canon.
I might as well debunk the myth of the autonomous work, whose canonical label is exclusively an expression of the highest literary quality within a given genre.
When we talk about canonisation, it is not only the qualities of the text itself that determine whether a work or author is canonised, although they do play a role. I might as well debunk the myth of the autonomous work, whose canonical label is exclusively an expression of the highest literary quality within a given genre. Equally influential as the text itself is the socio-cultural context in which the work is embedded. In line with Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer and Anja Müller (2017), I therefore distinguish between aesthetic and socio-cultural factors in processes of canonisation. From a socio-cultural perspective, it is both the actors and gatekeepers in the literary system (Stevenson, 2009) and the general discourses surrounding an author or work (Stephens & McCallum, 1998) that influence the canonisation process. Gatekeepers include critics, academics, librarians, and educators, while other actors include readers, publishers, and, in the case of Den fantastiske bus, even prime ministers.
The process of canonisation can be divided into three stages, according to Van den Bossche (2015). First is the establishment stage, where a work or author’s potential for canonisation is recognised, and where it is primarily aesthetic, in-text qualities that come into play. This is where a book is read, judged particularly good, and recommended to others. Then comes the confirmation stage, where the work’s canonisation potential is realised and capitalised upon. The work can be seen to affect a community of readers and gain a more extensive influence as it is distributed wider and gains further acclaim. This is where more socio-cultural elements come into play. Finally, there is the dissemination stage, where the work or authorship is embedded in the wider culture and consciousness, for example, by being transferred to different media and referred to independently of the book itself in different contexts (Van den Bossche, pp. 52-53). I will argue that Strid is well into the confirmation stage, but that he and his works are yet to be embedded in the consciousness of the general population.
Imaginative creativity and a dash of romantic childhood nostalgia
Jakob Martin Strid has been writing and illustrating children’s books for 25 years and has more than 25 titles under his belt. His books have been translated into more than ten languages and some of his best known, besides Den fantastiske bus, are Lille Frø [Little Frog], Den utrolige historie om den kæmpestore pære [The Incredible Story of the Giant Pear], and his Mimbo Jimbo [Mimbo Jimbo] series.
When it comes to aesthetic qualities, Strid’s books have been praised for being particularly imaginative, creative and full of narrative joy; for their interplay between illustrations and text; and for their insistence on taking the child seriously as a thinking, feeling, and agentic individual (Kronholm, 2012; Haag, 2022; Arguimbau, 2023; Malmros, 2024). In Den fantastiske bus, for example, it is children who take the initiative to save little Timo and the world with their imagination and creativity. Such a strong faith in children can, according to Danish professor in children’s literature Nina Christensen, be linked to a Western romantic view of the child as a special, exalted, and innocent being who has an unspoilt proximity to the imagination (as cited in Malmros, 2024). This view resonates with many adults: There is a tendency to nostalgically idealise childhood as something special that is lost when you grow up, and often adults seek books that recreate and stimulate this innocent childhood image (Van den Bossche, 2015, p. 223). It may explain part of the appeal and popularity of Den fantastiske bus and Strid’s other books. Adults have been drawn to his stories’ view of childhood and wish to share it with young readers.
Strid’s books, narration, and drawing style have often been compared to other authors and illustrators who already enjoy canonical status in Denmark, such as Astrid Lindgren, Halfdan Rasmussen, and Ole Lund Kirkegaard (Dannemand, 2012; Vase, 2023; Zieler, 2023). These comparisons directly help canonise Strid and his works by placing them on the same level and with the same importance as the others. The comparisons might also evoke nostalgic resonance in adult buyers, who attach certain positive connotations to the classics they know from their own childhood, which are then transferred to Strid’s works.
There is a tendency to nostalgically idealise childhood as something special that is lost when you grow up, and often adults seek books that recreate and stimulate this innocent childhood image.
Additionally, on a literary level, Strid’s books have been praised for their anarchistic and humorous elements (Sønsthagen, 2006; Dannemand, 2012; Kronholm, 2012), although some of them have also caused controversy and been criticised for being offensive to minorities. From a canonisation perspective, this also has value, though, as controversy equals publicity and exposure.
A favourite among readers and critics
As mentioned, I believe that Strid is in the confirmation stage of canonisation in Denmark, in which his canonical potential is being realised and capitalised on. As I am writing this, his authorship is becoming increasingly influential in ways that transcend his individual books. In particular, all the attention surrounding Den fantastiske bus has helped catapult him more into the collective consciousness of Danes.
First and foremost, Strid’s books are hugely popular with readers, both children and adults. I first became acquainted with him in 2017, while working in a kindergarten where one of the children excitedly told me about his incredible story about the giant pear [in Danish: Den utrolige historie om den kæmpestore pære], and when I recently visited my local bookstore, three full shelves were dedicated to his books, which have easily recognisable visuals . Several of his books are also still on the children’s book bestseller lists years after publication, indicating that they continue to resonate with buyers and that more and more children and adults are getting to know them.
While the popularity of course tells us that the books excite Danish readers on a literary level, Strid has also enjoyed enormous support and attention from various literary institutions and newspapers and his works have been retold in new formats. His journey towards canonisation is very much supported by this.
Strid is first and foremost a favourite of critics. He has been awarded almost every Danish children’s book prize worth winning, and awards play a crucial role in canonisation (Kümmerling-Meibauer & Müller, 2017). Some have been for specific books, while others have been for his authorship and contributions to the field of children’s literature.
Children’s literature tends to be ranked low in the literary hierarchy and rarely makes headlines or is reviewed in newspapers, but Strid is an exception. If you search the Danish national media archive, you will find he has been mentioned in almost 800 articles in major newspapers since he started making a comic strip for adults in 1997. These include reviews (in which he mostly gets five and six stars), profiles, and other articles that mention him. Particularly interesting are the profiles, which do not deal with specific works, but rather his person and authorship (Kronholm, 2012; Haag, 2022; Hilstrøm, 2023). These news articles demonstrate that Strid’s influence transcends his individual books and that he is considered important simply by virtue of his name.
Canonicity accelerated by adaptations and merch
When the preschooler first acquainted me with Strid, it was not solely because she had read his book about the giant pear, but also because she had seen its brand-new animated film adaptation in the cinema. The movie revitalised the book five years after its publication and brought the story to a whole new audience, including me, whereas I am a bit too old to have read Strid’s books as a child.
This anecdote is a good example of how adaptations can help spread awareness of an author and promote canonisation. The film was a contributing factor to why I am now writing an article about Strid, and thereby also participatingin the canonisation of his work. According to Stevenson (2009), adaptations and other extra-textual elements, such as merchandise, awards, and general references, can act as “accelerants that fuel the fire of their popularity” (p. 118). If books are already popular, these extra-textual elements can support and reinforce their status as classics.
Strid’s books have been adapted for film and theatre, and the publishing house behind them, Gyldendal, has produced cardboard and cloth book editions of some of his books for younger audiences. Aside from the aforementioned 2017 film adaptation, a short film animation of Lille Frø [Little Frog] was released in 2021, and three plays based on his books have been produced within the last two years. A theatre version of the pear book has for instance recently been playing at the Royal Danish Theater, one of the country’s largest and most prominent theatres, which is another sign of the status Strid already enjoys and the canonisation that is taking place.
Strid’s books have been adapted for film and theatre, and the publishing house behind has produced cardboard and soft cloth book editions of some of his books for younger audiences.
Strid’s work has also been on display at some of Denmark’s contemporary art museums, where solo exhibitions feature his original illustrations, further proving that Strid is both popular and enjoys a certain highbrow status.
Last but not least, merchandise such as a teddy bear, t-shirt, or children’s dinnerware with motifs from Strid’s Mimbo Jimbo series are also available for purchase. These are produced by Strid’s publisher and, in addition to their canonising function, they exemplify how publishers help push certain authors forward. The amount of merchandise is still small, but perhaps we will see more in the future.
What next?
From the signs I have highlighted, it is hopefully clear that Strid is in the midst of being canonised, and that Den fantastiske bus in particular has had a catapult effect in this. But you might be wondering, is Strid not already fully canonised in Denmark? Has he not moved past the confirmation stage and well into the dissemination phase?
Partly.
I do see signs that Strid and his books are becoming more prevalent in the public cultural consciousness and are increasingly being declared classics, especially over the last few years. Recently, a collection of bedtime stories was published featuring what was referred to as the best children’s book classics that had never been assembled before, where Strid was featured alongside Astrid Lindgren and other canonised works in Denmark such as Cirkeline and Alfons Åberg (Saxo, 2023). The example of the Prime Minister’s New Year speech is also telling.
The reason I still do not think he is fully canonised is because I find he is not fully embedded in the wider culture and consciousness. When I talk to people my own age or older, who are not in the world of children’s literature, who are not culturally interested, and who have not had children around them in recent years, often, the name Jakob Martin Strid does not resonate. Nor do I see many references to him and his works in the wider public imagination. But as we are in the midst of canonisation, with many fresh and current signs, there is much to suggest that he will only become more widely known and recognised. As I have mentioned, canonisation is not static but fluid, and it often takes place across generations, so only time can tell what role Jakob Martin Strid will play in the Danish children’s literature canon.
References
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