Swedish town library unveils fairytale reading room for kids

It was inspired by Harry Potter and Narnia, among other things

Last weekend, an innovative reading room opened its doors to children at the Bro (pronounced Broo) library, in a small town located northwest of Stockholm. The Sagorna’s room, as it is called, was decorated by artists in a way that would inspire the imagination of those being there and make the fairytale world of children’s books more tangible and realistic.

It draws inspiration from different children’s literature masterpieces. One of them is clearly the fantasy book Narnia, since the room will also feature a ‘hidden’ entrance – similar to the one heavily featured in the book.

Making the library attractive for the youngest generations

The artists Leif and Wille Högström together with the illustrator Sven Nordqvist, father of the beloved Swedish children's book characters Pettson and Findus, have created the imaginative interior in a way that will inspire children’s interest in reading.

“The children's fairy tales and stories have regained their place in Bro Library and finally the children's department is complete with the workshop and the fairy tale rooms that form a nice whole. I hope that many children in the future will have the opportunity to find their own story here with us,” says Hannah Rydstedt Nencioni, director of culture and leisure at the library.

The room is intended to be used primarily for the library's storytelling sessions for children aged 3 - 9, but it will also be used for collections and information for children of other ages. The entrance to the room is through a maple wood door, hidden by a bookshelf in the library's children's department. The decor is reminiscent of both Harry Potter and Narnia, but the creators have also drawn inspiration from other fairy tales.

On one of the walls, there is a painting that bears clear similarities to the enigmatic Mona Lisa's smile, but the woman in it discreetly holds a library card. On another wall, there is a small viewing cabinet where the figures inside the cabinet have the unmistakable expressions that are the mark of illustrator Sven Nordqvist. And whoever looks up to the ceiling will see floating candles and a lot of constellations that are lit with special buttons.

One of the children who visited the room at the inauguration was four-year-old Luca. He was clearly impressed. “The starry sky was cool and the room was magical. It gets 150 billion magic wands in rating!” he declared.