Zirikli [2026]
children's story, available in Finnish, Swedish, Ukranian, Estonian, Russian, Somali, Arabic, Northern Sámi, Inari Sámi, Skolt Sámi

Zirikli follows the relationship between a young girl named Zirikli (Romanes for "bird") and a black bird, unfolding between her everyday life and her dreamworld.

The story was commissioned for Tilkkutäkin alla (Under the Patchwork Quilt), a storybook for toddlers that brings together fairy tales from around the world. The book features new stories from multiple authors and illustrators from multiple languages and cultural backgrounds. Published by Lukukeskus (the Finnish Reading Centre) as part of the Lukulahja lapselle (Reading Gift for a Child) program, the book is distributed free through maternity clinics to all families with newborns across Finland. It is published simultaneously in Finnish, Swedish, Ukrainian, Estonian, Russian, Somali, Arabic, Northern Sámi, Inari Sámi and Skolt Sámi, with a Romani-language edition currently in development. The book is edited by author Katri Tapola and author-illustrator Sanna Pelliccioni, funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation and Svenska Kulturfonden.