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The Fox on the Swing
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Our story starts with a boy named Paul, who lives in a cozy treehouse in a big city with his family. And then something unexpected happens—Paul befriends a wise, friendly fox on a walk home from the bakery. The fox gives Paul a space to think about what makes him happy and what friendship means.
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Hardcover, 46 pages
Published
June 19th 2018
by Thames Hudson
(first published October 13th 2016)
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While in The Fox on the Swing (which is titled Laimė yra lapė in its original 2016 Lithuanian incarnation), I absolutely both appreciate and actually very much love Paul's relationship with the fox, with the latter not only offering to Paul her friendship and a sense of fun, but also much important and delightfully good advice (such as to always keep swinging, which to and for me is basically an essential and necessary message of hope, of not letting oneself get bogged down with and by life and
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Mar 14, 2019
Abigail
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Fox Lovers / Readers Looking for New & Quirky Picture-Book Adventures
Paul lived with his potter mother and helicopter-flying father in a tall tree in the park. Every day he would be dispatched to the bakery to fetch back three fresh rolls for the family's tea. Often, on his return walk, he would encounter an orange fox on a swing in the park. One day, the fox spoke to him, and a beautiful friendship began. Being friends with a fox was a magical, but sometimes challenging experience for Paul. Nothing prepared him however, for his feelings about leaving his vulpine
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Winner of 2019 Batchelder Award for translated children's book - from Lithuanian. At its simplest it is the story of a childhood house move - but this wonderful book is so much more. It is filled with that special sense of imagination, mystery, and joy that flow through the very best children's books. If I had a child to read it to I would probably give it 5 stars and I would definitely buy it.
Evalina Daciute wrote the story. Ausra Kiudulaite provided the inspired illustrations grounded in a joy ...more
Evalina Daciute wrote the story. Ausra Kiudulaite provided the inspired illustrations grounded in a joy ...more
This Lithuanian import is an exuberant, gorgeously illustrated picture book best suited for older readers. I loved the vibrant colors, the unique illustration style, and the somewhat heady text.
As Lithuanian myself, I was so incredibly proud when I saw that the 2019 Batchelder Award was given to a picturebook by a team of Lithuanian author and illustrator! I HAD to get my hands on it ASAP! :) Although I would much rather read The Fox on the Swing in its original language, Lithuanian, here in the USA I could only find a copy in English. Too bad, because I read a couple of excerpts in Lithuanian and the vibe is just not the same when the same lines are translated to English. I wonder how
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What a lovely book for children, with gorgeous illustrations!
I bought it for my boyfriend's grandson who will be celebrating his first birthday very soon and could not resist to read it. Nice story about friendship.
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I bought it for my boyfriend's grandson who will be celebrating his first birthday very soon and could not resist to read it. Nice story about friendship.
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What a delightfully odd story! It would be fascinating to read this to kids and hear their interpretation of it.
International Book 2- The Fox on the Swing
Written by Evelina Daciute and illustrated by Ausra Kiudulaite, The Fox on the Swing is a quirky and engaging children’s book that follows a boy and his understanding of happiness. The Fox on the Swing was recognized with the Mildred L. Batchelder Award, which is an award that recognizes books that were originally written in another language besides English in a country other than the U.S. but has subsequently been translated for the U.S. Upon reading Th ...more
Written by Evelina Daciute and illustrated by Ausra Kiudulaite, The Fox on the Swing is a quirky and engaging children’s book that follows a boy and his understanding of happiness. The Fox on the Swing was recognized with the Mildred L. Batchelder Award, which is an award that recognizes books that were originally written in another language besides English in a country other than the U.S. but has subsequently been translated for the U.S. Upon reading Th ...more
Odd indeed. It flaunts its creativity, for example putting shoes on the fox and making the parents ambiguous. I really think there's something to the fact that mom's pottery is orange, and so is the fox, and so is happiness.
And is the fox really a fox? Or is it imaginary? Or is it a homeless person, or a regular visitor to the park? Is the book an homage to The Little Prince?
Lots for sensitive children to ponder in this little fable about happiness.
At first I thought it ridiculously artsy-fartsy ...more
And is the fox really a fox? Or is it imaginary? Or is it a homeless person, or a regular visitor to the park? Is the book an homage to The Little Prince?
Lots for sensitive children to ponder in this little fable about happiness.
At first I thought it ridiculously artsy-fartsy ...more
I loved it, but I wasn't sure about the ending, but then I thought, it was unexpected and maybe that's the best part! Being old reading children's books, we think we are so sure how it's going to end and the lesson that must be in there to be learned, only to find someone else's lesson. I liked that.
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The Batchelder Award winner for 2019 is a delightful picture book about friendship and happiness. First published in England, this international book is written by Lithuanian Author & Illustrator, Evelina Dacuite and Ausra Kuidulaite. It was originally published in Lithuanian. Paul lives with his parents in a tree. On his way home from errands, Paul takes the long way home and meets a fox on a swing. They become friends and Paul learns many great wise ideas and hears wonderful stories from his n
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THE FOX ON THE SWING in a whimsical tale full of imagination and space for thoughts. The text is a bit dense so I recommend this one for older kids, but it is a story that touches on so many wonderful feelings and topics. The little boy in the story deals with the unexpected, a move, friendship and the nature of happiness in these pages. Carried throughout the book is a wonderful air of magic that is never confirmed but settles on the reader like a blanket. A luminously fulfilling read.
The layout is quite something; while sometimes it was a bit chaotic, overall I liked it. The artwork is very unique. I really liked the monochrome pages.
The Fox on the Swing was recognized with the Batchelder Award in 2019. This book was originally written in Lithuanian. This wonderful international literature picture book is about a boy named Paul who met a fox swinging on a swing on his way home from getting rolls from the bakery. The fox started to talk to Paul and their friendship began by seeing each other everyday. Pual said, “Having a fox as your friend is the same as swinging on a swing. There are ups and downs. One day it might be fun.
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Fox on the Swing by Evelina Daciūtė, illustrated by Aušra Kiudulaitė PICTURE BOOK Thames and Hudson 2018 $17 0500651566
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Paul and his mother and father live in a very tall tree in a pretty park. Every day, Paul stops at a bakery to pick up 3 rolls for dinner. One day on his way home he meets a fox, swinging on a swing. The fox talks him out of one of his rolls, but Paul is happy to share. The fox is not there every day, but when she is, ...more
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Paul and his mother and father live in a very tall tree in a pretty park. Every day, Paul stops at a bakery to pick up 3 rolls for dinner. One day on his way home he meets a fox, swinging on a swing. The fox talks him out of one of his rolls, but Paul is happy to share. The fox is not there every day, but when she is, ...more
Apr 07, 2019
Samantha Garcia
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
exploring-assignment,
exploring-diversity
This Lithuania export book has many valuable life lessons written within it. Fox and his friend Paul are best friends. And they both are learning to enjoy and love life. Subjects like loneliness, loss, and change are written wonderfully within the text. It can be easily understood by children of all ages. The ending of the book I initially didn't understand, but after some thought, I believe it was meant to be unexpected. And it was just that unexpected, leaving the reader to want more.
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This colorful Childrens book discusses happiness and family, both important topics for children. Paul, the main character meets a fox and becomes his friend. This fox encourages Paul to think about what really makes him happy, a thought we all need to ask ourselves, and he makes him think about what friendship means to him. This book has wonderful lessons in it that are ageless.
It is so sweet to me that the fox in this story is not portrayed as something sneaky or mischievous, but wise. I enjoyed the interactions between the boy and the fox and the illustrations were very nice and easy to follow. I liked the story and I think I will read it to my students soon. I would like to add as well that I think this would be a great bedtime story. It's very dream-like.
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I absolutely loved this book ! So creative, rich and interesting. It’s a longer story too than most picture books. It reminds me of Le Petit Prince, in that it involves the befriending of a wild fox who speaks in enigmatic wise words.
This import from Lithuania is longer than the typical picture book, which is refreshing. I liked it on the first read, but appreciated it much more on the second read. Quirky and sweet, curious and memorable. Kids will interpret and respond in different ways to this one.
Apr 07, 2019
Cassie Thornton
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
exploring-assignment,
exploring-diversity
This story is about Paul and it begins by telling the reader all about Paul. But, he becomes friends with a fox. The book tells all about what makes Paul happy, like swinging. The images and use of font really help tell this story and paint a picture in the readers head.
I enjoyed it, the ending through me off a bit but then thinking back and reflecting on it, it could've been an unexpecting twist to it that children get an enjoy and I may not understand it on their level. Now that we aren't children anymore, we assume that we know how the books are going to be and end that we don't expect the unexpected. Kept me on my toes, throwing me off of myself mind track and that's why I enjoyed this book.
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You can feel the non-Western feel to the writing style. But it is very much a combination of modern stories. On the surface it is a moving story, but deeper it is a story about growing up. It is philosophical and a bit abstract (though it is a contradiction with it is very obvious too). Not meant for the really young child. Could be good for an adult going through some changes in their own life (mostly if they have had a loss).
A really sweet and contemplative book. It made me long for hot, fresh rolls, orange marmalade, and the joy of swinging. Best for probably early elementary as it's a little long. The artwork is absolutely stunning. I really loved this.
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So much to talk about in this one.
Amazing book!
My new favorite children's book! Superior, delightful illustrations and artwork, and a heartwarming story that will bring tears to your eyes and joy to your heart.
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This is an off-beat tale with wonderful colorful illustrations about a boy who befriends a fox on a swing. It reminds me of the Max books by Maira Kalman, both in terms of the illustration and the quirky, somewhat meandering story. The author and illustrator are Lithuanian. A fun discovery for those who appreciate out-of-the-ordinary picture books.
February 2019 - a slightly magical story with beautiful illustrations, this has a lot to chew on. I don't know if we did it justice as a bedtime book. I think this would be good to share with elementary school kids.
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“The Fox On The Swing” by Evelina Daciute and Ausra Kiudulaite is an illustrated picture book about a boy named Paul, his family, and a fox. This book was written in 2018 and was the winner of the 2019 Mildred L. Batchelder Award. The hardcover version of the picture book is recommended.
The picture book, which is intended for younger students, begins with a boy named Paul who lives with his mother and father in a tree. His father flies helicopters while his mother makes various pottery items at ...more
The picture book, which is intended for younger students, begins with a boy named Paul who lives with his mother and father in a tree. His father flies helicopters while his mother makes various pottery items at ...more
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Evelina Daciūtė is an author of children’s books with a a collection of poetry for adults entitled Žuvys fontanuose. Her debut book was a collection of children’s stories Meškių istorijos (illustrated by Rasa Kaper). Daciutė’s book Drambliai ėjo į svečius (illustrated by Inga Dagilė) was nominated by the Lithuanian Section of IBBY in 2015 as the best children’s book and was translated into Chinese
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