The Fox on the Swing

This fresh and unexpected Lithuanian import transcends easy categorization. Paul’s father flies helicopters, his mother is a potter, and they live in a tree. In episodic passages, Daciute lays out these whimsical details with cheerful matter-of-factness. A parade of people, vehicles, and animals through Kiudulaite’s colorful digital collages contributes to the atmosphere of bouncy unpredictability. On his daily journey to buy rolls, Paul meets a fox in the park—she likes to sleep on the swing—and they become friends. She’s moody, even prickly, but she addresses Paul like a peer. “Will I always find you here?” Paul asks. “Of course not,” the fox replies. “When I need to be somewhere else, that’s where I’ll go.” Yet it’s Paul who leaves first, as his family moves to a bigger tree in a bigger city. Stories about moving often imagine the main character gradually adapting to the new place, but Daciute’s story immediately gives Paul what he most wishes for—a reunion with a friend. Ages 4–8. [em](June) [/em]