“A water drop is, by nature, an entire world for itself, and the whole environment is reflected in it.”
-H.C. Andersen
Water has always been a popular subject of poets, and the ocean plays a significant role in the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals. A central theme of the Water Drop is connecting the messages and values of the UN Goals to children’s literature authors such as H.C. Andersen, Tove Jansson and Astrid Lindgren. Authors, who despite diverse emphases, have had an immeasurable impact in shaping the values and ideals of countless young generations. They have taught us to respect nature, given us insight into the world of the less fortunate and shown us how we can provide them with help. They are authors whose stories include timeless lessons about friendship, love, forgiveness and equality, and contain characters that are powerful role models for young children. In this way, the Nordic children’s literature still resonates as much with us today as by the time of writing.
Many of these values can be directly connected to the United Nations Development Goals such as goal 1 on ending poverty, goal 5 on gender equality, goal 13 on climate action, goal 14 on lie below water and goal 15 on life on land.
