Small big story about Christmas

Réka Király 2019: Pieni suuri tarina joulusta

Hedgehog, Mouse, Bunny and Fox are preparing for Christmas. Two days before Christmas they realize that they do not have a Christmas tree.  The best trees are at the Bear's house. But none of them has met the Bear. They have only heard he is big and scary.

Together they take the challenge on and begin their journey to the Bear's house. Soon Fox remembers that he left soup on the stone and runs back home.  Mouse and Bunny also invent an excuse and Hedgehog is left alone to fetch the tree. Hedgehog meets the Bear, which is not that scary after all.

In the end all animals celebrate Christmas together. Bear must have been pretty lonely, when everyone has been afraid of him

Fox and an old man

Hannele Lampela 2017: Kettu ja Vanhus
illustrated by Mirkka Näveri

A fox cub is scared of everything and the others are mocking him (or her). After awhile he decides to leave. He walks and walks until he gets into the city, It is scarier than any storm he has ever lived through.

He runs to a meadow, where the sun is warming up the scared heart of the fox.  He realizes he is not alone. An old man is sitting on a rock. The fox tells him how the others said awful things to him. . The old man says, words like that are like clouds on the sky and that the foxes heart is just the way it's supposed to be. It is much braver to be just like you are instead of being something the others want you to be.

The fox cub decides to go back home and he has many stories to tell. He is still scared of storms, but the others leave him alone.

At the back is the now burnt church of Ylivieska.

Rubyheart

Kaarina Helakisa 2009: Rubiinisydän
illustrated by Nina Haiko

The king of the forest gives a ruby heart to one child every year for inventing a way to keep the dragons happy. The dragons feed on the flowers and plants and hold iron eggs that if they were dropped on the forest, would destroy it completely.

This year a litte girl with hay hair wants to have the ruby. The most modest of the flowers, twinflower promises to help. The girl writes letters to the other children in the other forests and they all decide to bury the dragons in their caves with stones and stop feeding them. The king gives the girl the ruby heart, which she then splits and the birds takes the smaller ruby hearts to all the children in the other forests. The dragons won't be eating the flowers anymore.

This book has been translated in English.