The Tomten and the Fox

The Tomten and the Fox is a book I waited for.  I waited for two months to get it through a different branch of my county’s library system.  It took me five minutes to read.  Even taking my time, I don’t think I could stretch this book into more than five minutes.  It makes me smile to think of how long I waited vs. how much actual time I needed the book.  Yes, it was worth it.

This book is from a poem by Karl-Erik Forsslund but adapted by Astrid Lindgren with pictures by Harald Wiberg, the same illustrator as the original Tomten book.

One thing I found interesting about this book is how in the beginning, there is narration but below the narration there are commands written to the fox, whose name is Reynard.  (That’s what I always name my foxes. )  It’s an interesting voice for the book to have – the narrator is telling us a story and communicating with the fox at the same time but separately.

This book has inspired a lot of art.  I recommend doing a Google Image search for “Tomten and the Fox” just to see all the crafts that have been created.

My favorite line comes near the end, when the hungry fox has found food and made friends with the Tomten: “It is a night for foxes and tomtens.”

The final picture of the fox walking off into the woods is haunting.  Yes, it is a night for foxes and tomtens.