Fox cub and the Great Shadow

Katariina Lempinen 2002: Ketunpoika ja suuri varjo


Little fox lives on a riverbank. One night he cannot sleep and wants to see the big world. It has rained and the bank is slippery. The little fox falls into the river. He meets many animals who are too afraid to help the fox cub home. They are afraid of the Great Shadow in the dark forest. The little fox gets scared, but he wants to go home. It turns out there is nothing to be afraid.







Similarities to Veikka's forest adventure are the fox and getting lost. This book about the Great Shadow describes fear and facing it more and uses fear of dark as an example. Many kids can understand that.

The illustrations of this book remind me of the illustrations of Hans Arnold.

Veikka's forest adventure

Tuuli Hypén 2014: Veikan metsäretki

Veikka lives with his mother under a large oak on a meadow. Veikka’s mother has to rest during daytime, because she hunts at night. Veikka on the other hand has lots and lots of energy. Mother warns him not to go too far from home.

Veikka plays tag with butterflies and gets lost in the nearby forest. There is lot to see. Mice do not see Veikka, but the youngest badger snuffles Veikka hello. Vekka asks a forest mouse directions home, but the mouse is too busy eating raspberries. He would like to have some more, but the berries are too high. Veikka helps him. The mouse would gladly help, but he does not know where the meadow.

Goldcrest dance

Next, Veikka meets a hedgehog, who is in a very bad mood. He has leaves stuck on his spikes. Veikka takes the leaves off. The hedgehog advises Veikka to go round the hazel to get back to the meadow. But Veikka does not know what a hazel looks like.

Next he finds a glum snake by the rocks. Someone has pooped on the his favourite rock and he cannot warm up. Veikka wipes the doo off and the snake directs him to the hazel.

Goldcrest dance for Veikka and take him to the hazel. The hazel is so big, it is almost a tree. Inside the bush are lot of lovely smells. Veikka is busy, but is interreupted by a rabbit, who is stuck on a plastic bag. Veikka gets the bag off and the rabbit tells him the meadow is just behind the hill. It is getting dark and Veikka falls down the hill onto a bear. Bear has heard, how Veikka has helped the forest animals and carries him home.
This book has almost comicbooklike illustrations that capture well the different characteristics of different animals. Usually fox is the sly one, but here fox helps everyone.

The book has an important lesson in addition to the helping others part, do not go alone in the forest or you'll get lost.