Have fun and learn along the way with magical stories for little bookworms. You’ll even find some of the characters from the books among Children’s IKEA cuddly toys – perfect for bedtime stories together. Swedish author Ulf Stark wrote some of the most popular IKEA children’s books. His stories have been translated into over 20 different languages and he is fondly remembered for his whimsical tales full of friendship and adventure.

‘I was not exactly a bookworm as a child. More like a book elephant – a sleepy one with big ears,’ Ulf once said in an interview. Born in Stockholm in 1944, Ulf’s first contact with books was through his mother’s bedtime stories. He began writing novels in school when a classmate introduced him to it, and eventually became one of Sweden’s best-known authors.

‘My first impression of Ulf was that he was a little boy in a grown-up body,’ says illustrator Ann-Cathrine Sigrid Ståhlberg, who worked with Ulf on IKEA children’s books. ‘It was easy to collaborate with Ulf. His stories were almost written in a tableau, as if he could see the pictures while writing. But at the same time he let me, as the illustrator, see the story my way. I think Ulf inspired me to add some of his sense of humour to the characters.’

Explore the library of IKEA children’s books online now