British Embassy Reykjavik launches Icelandic children’s book

On 31 August 2022, the British Embassy in Iceland will be launching the first ever Icelandic children’s book about careers of the future.

The book aims to inspire the next generation with amazing careers they’ve never even heard of, as well as teach them that everyone is equal.

Written for children aged 5 to 12 years old, ‘Tæknitröll og íseldfjöll’ (Technical Trolls and Ice Volcanos) introduces children to what will be some of the most interesting and important careers in Iceland over the next 20 years.

With advances in quantum computing, robotics, nanotechnology and space travel, there will be a huge variety of opportunities opening up in the future. ‘Tæknitröll og íseldfjöll’ introduces children to 30 exciting careers, from arctic scientist to aquaculture entrepreneur, cobot matcher to telesurgeon.

This new book also highlights diversity, equality and inclusion, 3 values that the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is working hard to place at the forefront of British foreign policy.

Studies have shown that children as young as 5 years old think that people who look less similar to themselves are less kind, and that girls aren’t as clever as boys. This book is full of diverse characters and aims to break down these stereotypes at the earliest possible age.

It shows children a variety of characters that all have different backgrounds and stories to tell, just like in real life. By including LGBTQ+, different genders and skin tones, physical differences and disabilities and mental health, it shows children that everyone is equal.

The book was written by Dr Bryony Mathew, British Ambassador to Iceland, and published by the British Embassy in Reykjavik. The embassy will be giving out 1,000 copies of the book to children, teachers, schools and libraries across Iceland, helping to further strengthen UK-Iceland relations while inspiring Iceland’s next generation.

The embassy has also produced an electronic version of the book.

Download the Tæknitröll og íseldfjöll eBook for free: