Anne-Grethe Leine Bientie
A Really Good Little Reindeer Herder

This is a story about being little and being given a lot of responsibility. Due to a series of unfortunate circumstances, little Jakob is left alone in the mountains to herd his family's flock of reindeer. He runs out of food. Soon he is cold and lonely, and he is afraid that the wolves will come … This is based on actual events from the late 1800s, a true story that has been passed down through the generations.

Norwegian edition: En skikkelig flink liten reingjeter.

Nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People's Literature Prize 2018.

The language is lovely, almost lyrical … I have seldom seen better pictures. They are atmospheric, and underscore the protagonist's loneliness. One of the best books of the year.

Nordnorsk Magasin

Illustrates how Sámi children have been taught independence and self-reliance … it gives valuable insight into children's own experiences, feelings and dilemmas … The text says a great deal using few words, and the story is both well told and poetical. The illustrations are lovely …

Nordic Council

The child is at the centre of the tale, and the author makes it easy for both children and adults to empathise with Jakob and understand his distress … The illustrations are truly wonderful, and enhance the emotional scope of the narrative.

Barnebokkritikk.no

Anne-Grethe Leine Bientie

Anne-Grethe Leine Bientie (b. 1954) is an author, hymn writer and poet who writes in Norwegian and Southern Sámi. Her first children's book, Vadtese (The Gift), a legend about Christ, was published in 2008.

The book is illustrated by Meerke Laimi Thomasson Vekterli (b. 1987), an artist and illustrator. She studied at Verket Kunstfagskole in Trondheim and Stenebyskolan in Sweden. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Trondheim Academy of Fine Art in 2022. Winner of the QSPA Inspirational Award 2022.