Kaarina Brooks
Finnish North American Literature Association
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Biographical Information
Kaarina Brooks was born on November 22, 1941, in Kuopio, Finland, and
emmigrated to Canada in 1951. Her mother (Markkanen) was born near Kuopio
and her father (Parviainen) was born in Nilsiä. She has worked collaboratively on
writing with her sister Raili since they were children growing up in Winnipeg.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts from York University in Toronto in 1988 and has
worked as an elementary school teacher as well as teaching French.
She has two daughters with her husband Brian Brooks and enjoys her four
grandchildren.
Her memberships include the Canadian Society for Children's Authors, Illustrators,
and Performers and the Toronto Chapter of Romance Writers of America.
Publications
"Last Autumn," a poem. Prarie Journal of Canadian Literature, Calgary, Alberta,
Aug. 1999.
"In My Garden Swing," a poem. Good Times Magazine. Nov. 1999.
"Little Sauna by the Woods," a short story. Sweating with the Finns. Thunder Bay,
Ontario, 2005.
Poems (six) in Connecting Souls, Beaverton, Ontario: Aspasia Books, 1999.
"My Earth Mother," a poem. The Compleat Mother. Clifford, ON, Sept. 2000.
Six poems in New Orphic Review. Nelson. BC, Jan. 2000
"Diary of a Little Immigrant," a short story. Canadian Ethnic Studies, Calgary, AL:
University of Alberta, 2001.
"Diary of a Little Immigrant." Pier 21 electronic files, Halifax, NS, Aug. 2001.
"Spring Secret," a poem. Second Annual Rising Sun Nature Poetry Competition,
honorable mention, Sept. 2001.
"My Mother's Fingers," a poem. Crochet World Magazine, Henniker, NH, March
2002.
"Reunion in Spirit," short story. Life-ezine, seniors@seniorcentre.ca Nov. 2002.
"Ring in the New," short story. Fifty-Something Magazine. Mentor, OH, 2002.
"Northern Lights," a poem. What If. Guelph, ON, Feb. 2003.
"Mother's Hairbrush," short story. Mature Years. Apr. 2003.
"The Wedge," a poem. A NIckel's Worth of Dreams. May 2004.
"Stamp Collecting for Toddlers," article. Parent and Preschooler Magazine, Apr.
2003.
"A Fine Day on the Lake," a story. Scholastic Canada, Markham, ON, Oct. 2003.
"The Race of a Lifetime," short story. Scholastic Canada, Markham, ON, Oct. 2003.
"Fate Steps in," article. Horsepower Magazine. Sept. 2003.
"A Horse Named Visa," article. Tapestry. King City, ON, 2004.
Seven poems in All Hearts Have Feelings. Beaverton, ON: Aspasia Books, 2004.
"Philately for Preschoolers," an article. ParenTeacher e-zine. Oct. 2003.
Two stories for Harcourt "Reading for Real" literacy program.
Chapter One of Pessi ja Illusia, by Yrjö Kokko, translated for the Journal of Finnish
Studies, Dec. 2003.
"Translating Poetry," article. Suomi-Kanada Seura Newsletter, Vaahteranlehti,
Dec. 2005.
"Yrjö Kokko," Finnish American Reporter, 2005.
"Yrjö Kokko," Vapaa Sana, Jan. 2005.
Books of Poetry
It's the FINN in Me: Melancholy Musings, Alakuloisia Aatoksia. Poems. Self-
published, 2004.
Children's Books
Foxy Finnish Folk Tales for Children. Beaverton, ON: Aspasia, 2001.
Peikko, Finnish Folk Tales for Children. Beaverton, ON: Aspasia Books, 2003.
Bear: Finnish Folk Tales for Children. Beaverton, ON: Aspasia Books, 2005.
Book Reviews
Brooks’s Poetry Moves Readers
by Beth L. Virtanen, Ph. D.
(This is a condensed version of a review that appeared in the Finnish American
Reporter. For the full text, see their website at www.finnishamericanreporter.com.)
It’s the Finn in Me: Melancholy Musings/Alakuloisia Aatoksia, by Kaarina Brooks is
a moving collection of poetry that connects the reader poignantly to the experience
of living in diaspora, that is between one culture and the other, perhaps partly in
both. As a truly diasporic text, Finn in Me is written in both Finnish and English,
with each poem presented in both languages.
As a work of diaspora literature, Brooks’ work stands firmly in both the Finnish and
Canadian communities, linking the two irrevocably in the consciousness she
represents. She captures that sense of diasporic longing for a home that is forever
lost and for the new home that is forever under construction.
It’s the Finn in Me is available for $13 US from the author and can be purchased
via the phone at 705 435-2786 or by email at bluebell@kaarinabrooks.com. An
order form for purchase via regular postal service can be downloaded from the
author’s website at www.kaarinabrooks.com.
Fanciful and Fun with a Serious Moral: Foxy Finnish Folk Tales for Children
A Review by Beth L. Virtanen
(This is a condensed version of a review that appeared in the Finnish American
Reporter. For the full text, see their website at www.finnishamericanreporter.com.)
This darling collection of enchanting Finnish folktales, translated and edited for the
modern North American reader, captivates children’s and adult’s imaginations with
the antics of Bear, Wolf, Foxy and other animals. Foxy Finnish Folk Tales for
Children is a collection of children’s stories translated and illustrated by Kaarina
Brooks and published by Aspasia Children’s Books, of Beaverton, Ontario,
Canada. The original works were first published in Finland as Suomen Kansan
Satuja I, by Osakeyhtiö Valistus in 1954.
A longtime elementary school teacher, Kaarina Brooks uses her considerable
knowledge of what captivates children to create delightful tales in which we hear
echoes of the classic familiar folk tales we might have heard in our own childhoods
while simultaneously being immersed in the traditional Finnish rendition of these
timeless tales. If there is a single theme that this work presents, it must be that we
should not blindly follow those who would lead us astray, but instead should think
critically before we act and realize when we are being tricked into foolish behavior
by the wily actions of others.
Foxy Finnish Folk Tales is available at Northwind Books on the campus of
Finlandia University and from Aspasia Books, R. R. 1, Beaverton, Ontario, L0K
1A0 Canada.
Kaarina Brooks Has Done It Again: Peikko Teaches a Lesson
By Beth L. Virtanen, PhD
(This is a condensed version of a review that appeared in the Finnish American
Reporter. For the full text, see their website at www.finnishamericanreporter.com.)
The second book in the series, Finnish Folk Tales for Children, Peikko the Foolish
Ogre, by Kaarina Brooks, is as hilarious as it is effective in teaching a lesson. It is
a good book for children as its moral is not to be so foolish as to bet what you can
not win and not to throw good money after bad.
This book has only two characters, Peikko, a foolish ogre who is always
challenging and is repeatedly outdone by the other character, his neighbor Matti.
Told in short vignettes, the story presents a theme of promoting astute thinking
and discouraging rash behavior while building on the progression of incidents to
their natural end. It is a good book for all children because it reminds them that it is
better to be smart than foolish and that physical violence is no solution to
problems. Instead, the book promotes critical thinking and timely action for solving
problems. It is a good book for Finnish-American children because it reminds them
of Finnish myth. As a story with a sound moral, it should be on most children’s
bookshelves.
Brooks’ Bear a Hit with Children
By Beth L. Virtanen, PhD
(This is a condensed version of a review that appeared in the Finnish American
Reporter. For the full text, see their website at www.finnishamericanreporter.com.)
The latest of the three works in Kaarina Brooks’ trilogy of Finnish Folk Tales for
Children appeared this summer, and the book Bear is consistent with the fine
quality of work demonstrated in the first two, Foxy Finnish Folk Tales for Children
and Peikko the Foolish Ogre.
The tales in this book are as entertaining as those previously shared by Brooks.
The small book contains sixty-two numbered pages, including a table of contents,
large print text to be easy to read, original illustrations, and a glossary of Finnish
words that assists the young readers in acquiring some new Finnish words to add
to their vocabulary that they began by reading the earlier texts in the series.
As a retired primary school teacher, Kaarina Brooks does a splendid job reaching
the hearts and minds of youngsters and promotes their interest and curiosity in
reading. Bear is a nice addition to a child’s library of works on Finnish themes. It is
published by Aspasia Books and is available online at www.aspasiabooks.com.
Kaarina Brooks was born on November 22, 1941, in Kuopio, Finland, and
emmigrated to Canada in 1951. Her mother (Markkanen) was born near Kuopio
and her father (Parviainen) was born in Nilsiä. She has worked collaboratively on
writing with her sister Raili since they were children growing up in Winnipeg.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts from York University in Toronto in 1988 and has
worked as an elementary school teacher as well as teaching French.
She has two daughters with her husband Brian Brooks and enjoys her four
grandchildren.
Her memberships include the Canadian Society for Children's Authors, Illustrators,
and Performers and the Toronto Chapter of Romance Writers of America.
Publications
"Last Autumn," a poem. Prarie Journal of Canadian Literature, Calgary, Alberta,
Aug. 1999.
"In My Garden Swing," a poem. Good Times Magazine. Nov. 1999.
"Little Sauna by the Woods," a short story. Sweating with the Finns. Thunder Bay,
Ontario, 2005.
Poems (six) in Connecting Souls, Beaverton, Ontario: Aspasia Books, 1999.
"My Earth Mother," a poem. The Compleat Mother. Clifford, ON, Sept. 2000.
Six poems in New Orphic Review. Nelson. BC, Jan. 2000
"Diary of a Little Immigrant," a short story. Canadian Ethnic Studies, Calgary, AL:
University of Alberta, 2001.
"Diary of a Little Immigrant." Pier 21 electronic files, Halifax, NS, Aug. 2001.
"Spring Secret," a poem. Second Annual Rising Sun Nature Poetry Competition,
honorable mention, Sept. 2001.
"My Mother's Fingers," a poem. Crochet World Magazine, Henniker, NH, March
2002.
"Reunion in Spirit," short story. Life-ezine, seniors@seniorcentre.ca Nov. 2002.
"Ring in the New," short story. Fifty-Something Magazine. Mentor, OH, 2002.
"Northern Lights," a poem. What If. Guelph, ON, Feb. 2003.
"Mother's Hairbrush," short story. Mature Years. Apr. 2003.
"The Wedge," a poem. A NIckel's Worth of Dreams. May 2004.
"Stamp Collecting for Toddlers," article. Parent and Preschooler Magazine, Apr.
2003.
"A Fine Day on the Lake," a story. Scholastic Canada, Markham, ON, Oct. 2003.
"The Race of a Lifetime," short story. Scholastic Canada, Markham, ON, Oct. 2003.
"Fate Steps in," article. Horsepower Magazine. Sept. 2003.
"A Horse Named Visa," article. Tapestry. King City, ON, 2004.
Seven poems in All Hearts Have Feelings. Beaverton, ON: Aspasia Books, 2004.
"Philately for Preschoolers," an article. ParenTeacher e-zine. Oct. 2003.
Two stories for Harcourt "Reading for Real" literacy program.
Chapter One of Pessi ja Illusia, by Yrjö Kokko, translated for the Journal of Finnish
Studies, Dec. 2003.
"Translating Poetry," article. Suomi-Kanada Seura Newsletter, Vaahteranlehti,
Dec. 2005.
"Yrjö Kokko," Finnish American Reporter, 2005.
"Yrjö Kokko," Vapaa Sana, Jan. 2005.
Books of Poetry
It's the FINN in Me: Melancholy Musings, Alakuloisia Aatoksia. Poems. Self-
published, 2004.
Children's Books
Foxy Finnish Folk Tales for Children. Beaverton, ON: Aspasia, 2001.
Peikko, Finnish Folk Tales for Children. Beaverton, ON: Aspasia Books, 2003.
Bear: Finnish Folk Tales for Children. Beaverton, ON: Aspasia Books, 2005.
Book Reviews
Brooks’s Poetry Moves Readers
by Beth L. Virtanen, Ph. D.
(This is a condensed version of a review that appeared in the Finnish American
Reporter. For the full text, see their website at www.finnishamericanreporter.com.)
It’s the Finn in Me: Melancholy Musings/Alakuloisia Aatoksia, by Kaarina Brooks is
a moving collection of poetry that connects the reader poignantly to the experience
of living in diaspora, that is between one culture and the other, perhaps partly in
both. As a truly diasporic text, Finn in Me is written in both Finnish and English,
with each poem presented in both languages.
As a work of diaspora literature, Brooks’ work stands firmly in both the Finnish and
Canadian communities, linking the two irrevocably in the consciousness she
represents. She captures that sense of diasporic longing for a home that is forever
lost and for the new home that is forever under construction.
It’s the Finn in Me is available for $13 US from the author and can be purchased
via the phone at 705 435-2786 or by email at bluebell@kaarinabrooks.com. An
order form for purchase via regular postal service can be downloaded from the
author’s website at www.kaarinabrooks.com.
Fanciful and Fun with a Serious Moral: Foxy Finnish Folk Tales for Children
A Review by Beth L. Virtanen
(This is a condensed version of a review that appeared in the Finnish American
Reporter. For the full text, see their website at www.finnishamericanreporter.com.)
This darling collection of enchanting Finnish folktales, translated and edited for the
modern North American reader, captivates children’s and adult’s imaginations with
the antics of Bear, Wolf, Foxy and other animals. Foxy Finnish Folk Tales for
Children is a collection of children’s stories translated and illustrated by Kaarina
Brooks and published by Aspasia Children’s Books, of Beaverton, Ontario,
Canada. The original works were first published in Finland as Suomen Kansan
Satuja I, by Osakeyhtiö Valistus in 1954.
A longtime elementary school teacher, Kaarina Brooks uses her considerable
knowledge of what captivates children to create delightful tales in which we hear
echoes of the classic familiar folk tales we might have heard in our own childhoods
while simultaneously being immersed in the traditional Finnish rendition of these
timeless tales. If there is a single theme that this work presents, it must be that we
should not blindly follow those who would lead us astray, but instead should think
critically before we act and realize when we are being tricked into foolish behavior
by the wily actions of others.
Foxy Finnish Folk Tales is available at Northwind Books on the campus of
Finlandia University and from Aspasia Books, R. R. 1, Beaverton, Ontario, L0K
1A0 Canada.
Kaarina Brooks Has Done It Again: Peikko Teaches a Lesson
By Beth L. Virtanen, PhD
(This is a condensed version of a review that appeared in the Finnish American
Reporter. For the full text, see their website at www.finnishamericanreporter.com.)
The second book in the series, Finnish Folk Tales for Children, Peikko the Foolish
Ogre, by Kaarina Brooks, is as hilarious as it is effective in teaching a lesson. It is
a good book for children as its moral is not to be so foolish as to bet what you can
not win and not to throw good money after bad.
This book has only two characters, Peikko, a foolish ogre who is always
challenging and is repeatedly outdone by the other character, his neighbor Matti.
Told in short vignettes, the story presents a theme of promoting astute thinking
and discouraging rash behavior while building on the progression of incidents to
their natural end. It is a good book for all children because it reminds them that it is
better to be smart than foolish and that physical violence is no solution to
problems. Instead, the book promotes critical thinking and timely action for solving
problems. It is a good book for Finnish-American children because it reminds them
of Finnish myth. As a story with a sound moral, it should be on most children’s
bookshelves.
Brooks’ Bear a Hit with Children
By Beth L. Virtanen, PhD
(This is a condensed version of a review that appeared in the Finnish American
Reporter. For the full text, see their website at www.finnishamericanreporter.com.)
The latest of the three works in Kaarina Brooks’ trilogy of Finnish Folk Tales for
Children appeared this summer, and the book Bear is consistent with the fine
quality of work demonstrated in the first two, Foxy Finnish Folk Tales for Children
and Peikko the Foolish Ogre.
The tales in this book are as entertaining as those previously shared by Brooks.
The small book contains sixty-two numbered pages, including a table of contents,
large print text to be easy to read, original illustrations, and a glossary of Finnish
words that assists the young readers in acquiring some new Finnish words to add
to their vocabulary that they began by reading the earlier texts in the series.
As a retired primary school teacher, Kaarina Brooks does a splendid job reaching
the hearts and minds of youngsters and promotes their interest and curiosity in
reading. Bear is a nice addition to a child’s library of works on Finnish themes. It is
published by Aspasia Books and is available online at www.aspasiabooks.com.
