There’s lots that Alexander Daniel Hermann Dawidsson has: a terrific dad who works way too much, loads of alarm clocks to keep him on track, a good head for maths as long as he can use blocks, a mean teacher who won’t let him use blocks, a great friend nicknamed Pacman and fantastic feet for scoring soccer goals!
But Alexander Daniel Hermann Dawidsson doesn’t have: an easy time remembering to show up for soccer practice, a mom he gets to see, or cool shoes.
He also has ADHD, which is just fine as long as everything else is just fine. But this is a story about when nothing at all goes just fine!
Alexander Daniel Hermann Dawidsson isn’t a real person, but maybe you know someone like him? Or maybe he’s a little like… YOU?
Gunnar Helgason is one of Iceland’s most popular children’s authors and has won several awards for his books. He is nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2022. Ran Flygenring is an award-winning illustrator and has published books both in Iceland and Germany, where she has received the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis, the German-French Youth literature prize and the Jahres-Luchs prize, besides being nominated for the German Academy of Children’s and Youth Literature Illustration prize Serafina and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.
IBBY Honour List 2024 for writing
Nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize 2022
Nominated for the West Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize 2022
The Icelandic Booksellers’ Prize 2021, as the Best Children‘s Book of the Year (3rd place)
R E V I E W S
“An extremely funny book …”
THORGEIR TRYGGVASON, KILJAN/NATIONAL TV
“This is not only about gaining insight into the ADHD mind; he’s also writing about the truly difficult feelings kids have and how they deal with the challenges in their lives, and I find he does it extremely well.”
SUNNA DIS MASDOTTIR, KILJAN/NATIONAL TV
“In Do Not Destroy! Gunnar Helgason frankly, but with sensitive insight and much fine humour, paints a compelling picture of the story‘s protagonist, Alexander Daníel Hermann Dawidsson. Alexander experiences the world in a very special way, which has both a negative and a positive impact on his whole life. But one thing is perfectly clear from the start: We are on Alexander‘s level, and therein lies the strength of the book. …
A strong thread in the book is the important idea of meeting everyone, big or small, where they stand. Everyone deserves respect, and most of us go through all kinds of difficulties that have a complicated impact on our daily lives. …
Gunnar Helgason masterfully directs the narrative, allowing the rhythm of the story to chime with Alexander‘s state of mind, and giving the reader insight into the role of ADHD in it. …
The book‘s illustrator is Rán Flygenring. The powerful, almost quivering ink drawings portray Alexander‘s inner point of view, and show how he struggles hyperactively to cope with his life. Sometimes there is total chaos in the imagery, while elsewhere there is just a single thing: namely when something completely absorbs Alexander‘s attention. Just like the book‘s text, the drawings are full of imagination, humour and respect for the material.”
RATIONALE, NORDEN.ORG
