Following upon her earlier tale of The Tomten - a gnome-like being from Swedish folklore, said to watch over a farm and to care for its inhabitants - which was based upon a nineteenth-century poem by Viktor Rydberg, Astrid Lindgren once again delivers a lovely winter-time tale featuring that diminutive guardian and his night-time activities. Here the focus is more on a hungry fox, who comes prowling around the tomten's farm one frosty night, looking for something (preferably a hen) to fill his belly. Of course, the tomten has no intention of allowing his charges to be attacked, but he also feels compassion for the fox's need, and provides a lovely solution.

Like its predecessor, The Tomten and the Fox is based upon a poem - in this case, one written by Karl-Erik Forsslund - and illustrated by Harald Wiberg. It features the same gentle and compassionate sensibility, and the same feeling of snowy enchantment. I loved the exchange between the tomten and fox - An old tomten knows that a fox can be hungry. "You know that no one is allowed to steal our hens, don't you, Reynard?" "Hens," says Reynard. "Who thought of stealing hens?" - the humor of which is greatly enhanced by Wiberg's expressive artwork. What's particularly appealing about this story is that, despite his adversarial role, Reynard is not a villain (foxes too, need to eat!), and that the generous compromise offered by the tomten is acknowledged, in the narrative, to be a temporary one. "We'll see," says Reynard, when offered some of the tomten's porridge, and told that he must not steal hens in the future. A fox, after all, will always be a fox...

With a text that captures that ineffably magical feeling of night-time adventure - one that manages to feel gentle and reassuring, without ever eliding the harsher realities of life - and lovely artwork, this is another picture-winner from Astrid Lindgren! Highly recommended to any young reader who enjoyed the first tomten adventure, or who loves stories of foxes and/or little people. ( )

This book was originally published in 1966 and maintains all of its original charm. It is the simple story of the friendly house spirit called the Tomten that keeps watch over a Swedish farm homestead, its animals and people. We have met this Tomten before in another wonderful book by Astrid Lindgren called The Tomten. In this story, which takes place around Christmas time, we find a hungry fox faring out on a cold and snowy winter night in search of food. The illustrations are so beautiful and they really transport you to a cold, quiet winter night with snow crunching underfoot and stars sparkling overhead. The characters of the Tomten and the fox are very engaging and are sure to be well-loved by children. The text is very simple but has a lyrical quality that is the perfect compliment to the homey and comforting artwork. ( )

One of my very first books, this is also one of my very favorite books. The illustrations draw you into the story. As a child, I spent hours thinking about the Tomten, the children and the fox. ( )

ISBN found. Different edition.