Daciūtė, Evelina. The Fox on the Swing. London, Thames & Hudson, 2018. Note: The book, Laime Yra Lape, was originally published in Lithuanian in 2016. It was translated by The Translation Bureau.
The Fox on the Swing is written by Evelina Daciūtė and illustrated by Aušra Kiudulaitė. It is the 2019 Mildred L. Batchelder Award winner. It is a story about finding friendship, thinking it’s lost, and learning it’s not. It is targeted for children ages 4-8. This seems appropriate and could extend to 10 year olds. The print version published in English is reviewed.
The story is set in a big city with a park with a very tall, old tree. The tree is home to the main character, Paul; his dad, a helicopter pilot; and mom, an artist who makes clay pots. The family routine includes a daily dining of delicious fresh bakery rolls with a cup of tea. Every day, Paul picks up the rolls from the bakery. He takes the shortest route to the bakery, letting the delicious smell guide him, and the long way home, where he likes to explore a bit. His favorite thing to do en route home is play on the swing. He notices a fox is sometimes curled up on the seat of the swing. One day, Fox starts talking to Paul. She would tell Paul stories she heard from her grandparents; he gave her his roll. A friendship evolves between the two. Paul starts to worry about Fox leaving; she confirms she may not always be there, “When I need to be somewhere else, that’s where I’ll go.” Paul learns his family is moving to a bigger city, taller tree, bigger park… according to his father, everything will be better! Paul sadly shares the news with Fox, who thinks things often get better with time. His parents shared the same advice. At the new city, Paul continues his routine of going to the bakery to pick up 3 rolls. One day, on his way home, he began to explore a new path where he found… Fox on a swing! He swang with the fox and they yelled things that made them happy.
The story is told over 22 spreads and includes very colorful images to add depth and breadth to the story. For example, when Paul walks to the bakery, there are 4 inset images on the spread showing different activities going on around him such as people jogging, walking babies and dogs, and skateboarding. They also help the reader envision unusual aspects of the story, such as a house inside of a tree.
The artist uses a myriad of tools to enrich the text. She includes color to show moods, such as vibrant oranges conveying happiness and varying blues conveying sadness. The text varies in size and font. For example, tall is written with taller letters than other text when describing the tree and the phrase “Very Good News!” is bigger than other text. The illustrator’s use of lines such as the roadway, birds and plane flying towards the right side of the spread, and helicopter movements, move the reader ahead. Vertical lines, such as the tall trees, allow the reader to pause and take in the details. In addition, she uses a mass of black, firmly drawn squiggle lines to show Paul is upset. There are plenty of funny images as well. There is a cat thinking it’s going to rain, birds protesting, and Paul reading “The Bushy Tale of a Furry Friend” to name a few. Also, readers will get some words of wisdom throughout the story: “caring means sharing,” “things can always get better,” and “good things come to those who wait.”
The Fox on the Swing takes the readers on an emotional journey of finding friendship, losing friendship, then finding it again. It is a great book for an adult to read with a child one on one, particularly if there is an impending or recent change in the child’s life. There are so many things to explore.
Book Notes 