Acknowledgements

I heartily thank Lisa Sainsbury, Alison Waller, and Jane Suzanne Carroll for their patience, advice, analogies, encouragement, and, most importantly, for believing in me when I could see neither trees nor forest. I am thankful for the Jacqueline Wilson Scholarship at the National Centre for Research in Children's Literature, which made this work possible. I am also grateful to Vanessa Joosen for her sage wisdom and enthusiasm, to Clémentine Beauvais for her insight, and to my editors Elina Druker, Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer and Nina Christensen – as well as the John Benjamins Team – for the publication of this book. I am cheerfully indebted to Nick Campbell, Erica Gillingham, Nick Lavery, Emily Mercer, Sinéad Moriarty, Sarah Pyke, Denise Saul, and Kay Waddilove who, between them, have read and commented, often with lightning speed turnaround; semaphored confidence through fog and rain; and provided actual and virtual hugs, high fives, cups of tea, and a writing room of my own (with cheering squad). Here’s to the mighty power of the 45s, office dancing, and chai! Thanks galore to Teresia Fant, Guy Farber, Julia Kunz, Julia Öman, Elena Rouhen, Daniel Roß, and Tina Seifert whose messages, visits, vegetable gifts, and invitations reminded me there is a world out there. To my lovely parents, thank you for letting me run away to London again, always picking up the phone, sending me things, and forever keeping a Moomin-ish spot for me. Finally, I want to thank Nick Lavery for kitchen adventures, jellyfish hugs, everyday silliness, and all the bright lights.