T headed to his book shelf and picked out a book that has been waiting patiently to be read since we won a signed copy in a Twitter giveaway – The Fox on the Swing by Evelina Daciūtė and Aušra Kiudulaitė.
This is quite strange story and it begins in a strange way, opening with ‘Once upon a time…’ before declaring ‘that’s not quite right,’ and starting again! The main subject is Paul, a young boy who lives in a very old, very tall tree with his parents. One of his daily jobs is to visit a bakery to buy buns. Often, on this trip, he sees a fox asleep on a swing and then one day he actually sees the fox swinging! Like anyone would, Paul investigates and a strange friendship begins.
The fox dishes out odd bits of wisdom (Being generous is like an ocean. Everything depends on your point of view. The best thing to do is just keep on swinging.) and can be quite moody and off hand. She does though teach Paul about happiness and how to find it. And then Paul receives some bad news – his dad has earnt a promotion and the family are moving. Paul doesn’t want to leave his best friend behind. Will he see fox again? And will he be able to find happiness in his new home?
This is a beautiful, appealing and at times quite confusing read. Part dream-like, part traditional tale, part like nothing you’ve ever read before. Almost lyrical. The illustrations are amazing – packed with detail, unique (to match the story) and atmospheric. Younger readers who might struggle with the story will love pouring over these.
This is one definitely aimed at older readers. It is a lengthy, challenging text, way beyond the 500 word standard for a picture book. Lots of scope for discussion and a genuine one off though. T listened well and spotted lots in the images but struggled to understand all of the story. He told me, “that’s really a hard one daddy and the fox is pretty like a princess on the swing.”
You can get a copy to judge for yourself here.
Father Reading Every Day 
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