This essay examines how the picture book characters Mamma Mu and Kråkan are presented in text and illustrations. The purpose is to analyze how the interaction between the characters play out and how it can be interpreted from a critical gender perspective, and how picture books can set a scenery on how children perceive the world. The analysis is based on three entries from the book Mamma Mu bygger koja. Through a social semiotic theory approach and a multimodal method, the essay examines how the book’s various semiotic resources may reproduce gender norms. The essay discusses the differences and similarities in how Mamma Mu and Kråkan are presented. The analysis shows several differences, partly in how their facial expressions and mood are expressed, how detailed their actions are visualized, and in attitudes towards each other. The conclusion is that Mamma Mu has a calm and friendly demeanor and approach towards Kråkan. Kråkan, on the other hand, has a harsh, heated and diminishing demeanor and actions towards Mamma Mu. The author states that the way the female and male characters are portrayed in this picture book could replicate outdated and problematic gender norms and therefore should be problematized and questioned.