The Tomten Book

It's official. . . I'm obsessed with Astrid Lindgren. I just ordered every possible title that I do not possess from the library, then ordered the remaining books from Amazon. (In case my husband reads this review, I would like to add that I was able to find MOST of her work at the library).

I want to read everything Ms. Lindgren wrote, whether it's for adults, children or animals. Or aliens.

This is actually a re-telling of the poem The Tomten by Viktor Rydberg and is illustrated by Harald Wiberg (rather than Ilon Wikland), and it is a TOTAL DELIGHT.

A little tomten, who looks like a little gnome to this American, only appears at night, but "no one has seen the tomten." Only his footprints can be seen in the morning snow.

The tomten is a little guy with a big heart who calms all of the farm animals at night, and one of the illustrations of him tending to a cold dog in his kennel actually brought tears to my eyes.

This book has the calm, quiet power of Margaret Wise Brown's Big Red Barn and Jan Brett's The Mitten and my girls did not speak through the read.

They let Ms. Lindgren cast her spell in peace.