Write2Ignite

Today, I’d like to introduce Sonja Anderson and her new picture book, A Christmas Wish for Little Dala Horse: A St. Lucia Celebration (illustrated by Agnieszka Potocka) just out this fall from Tyndale Kids. This lovely story of love and hope is sure to become a wonderful read-aloud tradition each Christmas!

Kathy: Please tell us a little about yourself and how you began writing.

Sonja: I work in an elementary school library, and every year during the Scholastic Book Fair, I see little girls buy diaries with small locks and keys, just like I had when I was their age. Even if I didn’t write every day, I always had a diary for writing down my thoughts and hopes and prayers. One year, when I was about eight, I entered a writing contest and won! I got to read my essay on “What Christmas Means to Me” in front of everyone at a holiday concert that year. From then on, I dreamed of being an author. I love that my first picture book is about what makes Christmas so special to me and my family!

Kathy: That sweet memory of a Christmas story certainly makes your first picture book very special! What was your favorite thing to do as a child?

Sonja: Read! I LOVED to read. My mom always read to us at bedtime, and I loved how reading opened whole worlds to me—adventure, mountains, seaside towns, mysteries, history. On rainy Saturdays I’d thumb through volume after volume of our World Book Encyclopedia, amazed at all the things I could learn by reading. I have a twin sister who loved to read as well, and we even wrote plays together sometimes! We didn’t always sit in the house reading, though; we spent many hours riding our bikes around the neighborhood.

Kathy: Oh, me, too. I always loved reading and riding my bike everywhere! What were some of your favorite childhood books?

Sonja: My favorite picture book was Miss Suzy, about a very sweet squirrel who fiercely protects her home. I turned to novels very early, though, and devoured Nancy Drew mysteries as well as the Little House on the Prairie series. I loved the book, Heidi, also, which transported me to the Swiss Alps. For an Ohio girl, hearing the wind whistling through the pines by the grandfather’s hut was magical. I loved the book so much that my parents planned a trip to Colorado so that I could experience real mountains!

Kathy: What a wonderful gift from your parents! I love the sound as the wind whispers through the pines here in Colorado! What is something not too many people know about you?

Sonja: A week or two before I got “the call” from my wonderful agent to represent my picture books (which would eventually include Little Dala), I had announced to my writing critique group that I was done with picture books for good. I’d been trying to write and publish them for years to no avail. So glad God had other plans and that I didn’t give up! It’s such a blessing that my agent, Adria Goetz, and I, have been able to create this wonderful book with Tyndale.

Kathy: Isn’t it amazing how God works in our lives! I’m so glad you didn’t give up! What do you like to do for fun?

Sonja: I still do love to read! But I also love hanging out with my husband and my daughters, who are grown and live nearby. Long road trips to national parks are a favorite for all of us! My husband recently surprised me with a trip to Treehouse Point, where we stayed in an amazing treehouse for several days. That might be my new favorite thing to do! The babbling brooks and fairy lights in the trees made me feel like an elf in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.

Kathy: Treehouse Point sounds amazing! What was the inspiration for your book?

Sonja: My dad, a dentist, turned to woodcarving in his retirement. The first thing he ever carved for me was a Dala horse (a small pine horse symbol of Sweden) to honor my Swedish ancestry. I love Dala horses and have different versions of them all over my house!

The initial inspiration for the book came from my school library, though. I checked in a stack of “Runaway Gingerbread Man” stories and thought of a Swedish Dala horse version. As my agent and I worked through different ideas, the book became a beautiful and poignant look at a widow woodcarver of Dala horses and the way she honored her husband with her work, along with other Swedish Christmas traditions that have been so special to me and my family. The woodcarver element of the story became especially meaningful to me as my dad passed away the day after this contract was finalized. He was so excited about this book!

Kathy: Oh, Sonja, I’m so sorry, but thankful with you that your Dad knew your book would go out into the world! What is a Dala horse?

Sonja: A Dala horse is a carved, pine horse with a distinctive silhouette from a region in Sweden called Dalarna. The woodworkers there produced furniture painted in a “kurbits” art style—with “swishes, swirls, dots, and dabs.”

They’d make toys and other small objects, like these horses, from the furniture scraps to sell or give to the children. The reddish-orange color paint of traditional Dala horses also comes from industry in the region, namely copper production.

Another story, which I use in my book, is that soldiers were quartered in this region during the 18th century. To thank the villagers, some of them carved little horses for the children. The horses became a famous symbol of Sweden after a huge one stood outside the Swedish Pavilion in New York City during the 1939 World Expo. The Dalarna region makes a quarter of a million of these little horses every year.

Kathy: How interesting! I have seen Dala horses before but didn’t know their history. Your book highlights another beautiful Swedish Christmas tradition. Please tell us a little about the St. Lucia celebration.

Sonja: Santa Lucia (or Saint Lucia or Saint Lucy) is an Italian saint who is honored each year on December 13th. Lucia was a young woman born to a wealthy family in the third century, a time of persecution of Christians. According to legend, her mother became seriously ill, and Lucia promised to give her dowry to the poor if God made her well. God kept his promise, and so did Lucia. It’s said that she put a crown of candles on her head to keep her hands free so she could carry food to Christians in hiding. For generations in Sweden, a northern country that has long, dark winters, Lucia has been celebrated for bringing hope and light into dark places. The long white gown symbolizes her purity, and the red sash represents the blood she shed when she was martyred for her faith. Swedes celebrate her in private homes with the eldest daughter, dressed like Santa Lucia, bringing trays of buns and coffee to everyone early in the morning on December 13th, or in community celebrations in schools and churches.

Swedes who came to America, like my great-grandparents, have continued this tradition!

Kathy: That’s a beautiful story and a wonderful way to begin preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Do you have a favorite illustration from the book?

Sonja: They’re so wonderful—it’s difficult to choose a favorite! I can almost feel the chill in the air in the snowy scenes, and I also love the warmth of the village church with its candles and gathered community. The illustration that keeps calling to me, though, is a simple one of “Old Dala” and “Little Dala” watching out the window at the falling snow. The old horse has told the newly carved horse all about the wonders of Jul—Christmas—and now the two of them wait and watch side-by-side for any sign that Christmas is coming. To me, it captures the quiet anticipation of Advent and the magic of the season.

Kathy: The illustrations are beautiful, bringing alive Swedish traditions and snowy winter nights! What would you like children to take away from your books?

Sonja: A major theme that runs all through the story is about giving “gifts of the heart.” Gifts like gratitude, remembering loved ones, waiting side by side with a friend, teaching someone else how to do something, giving of ourselves generously and bravely, loving one another despite our flaws—these are gifts we can give to each other, young and old, rich or poor. The same small carved horses are at the center of the story, but the gifts of the heart change along the way.

Kathy: “Gifts of the heart are truly the best gifts of all!” Where can readers learn more about you and your upcoming projects?

Sonja: The best place is in my email newsletter or website, www.sonjaandersonbooks.com. You can subscribe to my newsletter through a form at the bottom of the website, or you can follow the prompts in the pop-up box on the Home page. You can also find four fun coloring pages inspired by my A Christmas Wish for Little Dala Horse book under the “Books” tab for this title!

And here is something extra in my book! A Swedish gnome is called a “tomte.” Throughout the story, you can find lots of them! Some teach Swedish words, and some are hiding. Can you find them all? Kids will love to try!

Kathy: Thank you, Sonja, for visiting and telling us about your new book. I know readers will love adding this beautiful book to their Christmas traditions! It’s a wonderful book to read as Advent begins!

Kathy O’Neill grew up in Maine. She loves the Lord and His gifts of family, friends, art and nature. Today she lives in Colorado, exchanging walks on the beach for horseback riding in the Rockies, where the wind sings through the pines. As an art teacher, writer, and speaker, she enjoys engaging children’s and adult’s hearts and hands to discover God and their own creativity through art, history, and nature. Kathy has written for, Clubhouse Jr., DevoKids, Highlights, The Quiet Hour, Light from the Word, Starlight, and Appleseeds. Kathy has a middle grade devotions book about horses coming out with Tyndale in 2026.

You can connect with Kathy here:

Website and blog http://www.kathy-oneill.com/

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