Freya Takes Charge

Freya the Friendly is excited to join her father's Viking crew as they set sail for Scotland. But her dad has some pretty unfriendly rules: yell, growl, and grab what you want, Vikings don't dance, and when you hear bagpipes - make a face and cover your ears!

To be true to her name, Freya must make a choice. Can she persuade her crewmates to be nice, kick up their heels, and play those dreadful pipes - in pursuit of friendship, fun, and riches?

Sports champions, movie stars, and award-winning authors agree - Freya really knows how to take charge!

"If Freya were on my team, I'd make her my starting quarterback!"
-Steve Young, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback

"Freya the Friendly is in a League of Her Own!"
-Megan Cavanagh (aka Marla Hooch)

"This beautiful and hilarious picture book teaches joyous lessons about friendship, fun, riches, and girl power!"
-Peggy Rathmann, Caldecott-medalist and author of the best-selling children's classic, Goodnight Gorilla

"A wonderful story to delight and inspire young children and grown-ups alike! Freya for CEO!"
-Deena Shakir, author, Leena Mo, CEO

Ariane Erickson, along with her husband Todd, founded Norse-Gael Books in 2023, and celebrated the launch of their first book, BAXTER AND JEFFREY, with a giant slice of chocolate cake and an ice-cold glass of milk.

Ariane and Todd are committed to creating children’s books that root for the underdogs, promote kindness and empathy, welcome and affirm all readers, embrace characters that are flawed but lovable, create feelings of satisfaction, security, and belonging, elicit uproarious laughter from children and adults alike, and are worth reading again and again.

When not publishing children's books, Ariane enjoys sneaking in a daily chocolate before her family comes home, worrying if she is under or over watering her plants, and buying pillows for the couch (much to her family’s chagrin).

Visit Ariane and Todd at www.norsegaelbooks.com to learn more about their favorite brand of chocolate, where to buy decorative pillows, and how to make friends when you're a Viking.

Todd Erickson, along with his wife, Ariane, founded their publishing label, Norse-Gael Books in 2023, and launched their debut picture book, BAXTER AND JEFFREY, in January 2024. 

Todd is a Head Teacher at Stanford University's Bing Nursery School, where he scaffolds play, opens hearts, challenges minds, and reads loads and loads of picture books to his students. He enjoys tapping into the deep wonder, boundless hope, and endless creativity of young children as both a teacher and a picture book author. He also writes a monthly newsletter, Todd’s Good Books, featuring book recommendations for young children and their families.

In his spare time, Todd enjoys playing basketball, spending time with his family, any food that contains chocolate, and trying to figure out how “wallpaper, uff da, gnocchi, and Guardians of the Galaxy” form a group of four in Connections.

Visit Todd and Ariane at norsegaelbooks.com to learn why they think they’d make great candidates for “The Amazing Race,” where to grab a delicious slice of chocolate cake, and how to parent a feisty daughter when you’re the Chief of a Medieval Viking clan.

Iya Voinich is a children’s book illustrator based in the enchanting city of Verona, Italy. She infuses her whimsical drawings with a love for vintage clothes, chocolate, Halloween, and spooky stories. Iya delights in old movies, breaking the crust on crème brûlée and compulsively buying illustrated books. Her two daughters, Xana and Agata, and her dog and cat (who believe they are the stars of her illustrations), fill her with inspiration and bring magic to her art. Connect with her at www.voinich.art and on Instagram @voinich.

"Fostered by Freya, pages crowd with rousing fellowship as well as period-accurate but fantastically amplified clothing, replete with bristly beards and braids spilling from under helmets and over tartans. For mini-medievalists looking to trade in…Bethan Woollvin’s Three Little Vikings for another adventure, Freya’s story will be worth sharing.” [Recommended title] -The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books