The Tomten Paperback – Picture Book, October 6, 1997

wonderful for kids and beautifully illustrated

This is a children's book, but I as an adult who am just discovering my Swedish roots (and thus am fascinated by Scandinavian folklore) found this a pleasant, peaceful story. And quite relatable in the sense that it is cold and snowy outside, and winter is soon to come. Seasons change, years pass, but this little tomten quietly goes about its routine, doing little things to make life better at the farm.I suppose one could say that's how people should be: humble, but vigilant in doing what needs to be done, and uplifting other creatures as we do so.

The illustrations of this children's book took my breath away they are SO gorgeous!!! The story is is in poem form. My heart just melted and tears formed in my eyes as I read this tale I am captivated by the book! My children and their children are grown, but, I still love reading children's books. This one is a new very favorite of mine. I read the Kindle Unlimited offering. I had to order my very own hard cover version to keep in my home to read each Yule season. Treat yourself to a very special treat. Read this book!!! You will love the artwork!

Great addition to our Christmas book collection.

This book was a staple of my childhood and we talk about Tomtens often at Christmas time especially. So when my husband didn't know what a Tomten was I was shocked! It's a beautiful short story and the pictures are wonderfully done. It's more a winter book rthan Christmas book (there's a different one for that!)Kindle: I was nervous about how a picture book would do on my smartphone's kindle app. But I didn't need to worry - it downloaded quickly (I was impatient to share the story) and the pictures were perfect. No errors or anything. Just a bit small but that all depends on your device size.

Astrid Lindgren- the author of the indomitable and appealing Pippi Longstocking- adapted a poem into a book format. This was, I understand, translated into English from her native Swedish. If you keep that in mind, the repetitive paragraphs and lack of a story-line make more sense, and my children very much enjoyed listening. It made a wonderful, slow, quiet bedtime story. The pictures are similarly calm, and I can’t quite tell if they are actually painted to be slightly out of focus or if the printing was off. I think it’s on purpose, but it’s just slight enough that it’s hard to pinpoint. It’s also only a couple of pages long- for some reason, I understood this to be “the adventures of the Tomten,” instead it is a night of his wandering and remembering that “winters come and winters go, summers come and summers go...” But if you know all of this, and know that it is a beautiful and dreamy book, then you will enjoy it, too!

This little book has helped to keep the Scandinavian folk tradition called Tomten in the Holiday winter festivities alive and doing well. The story is the perfect length to read to a young child who is ready for a bedtime story and the beautiful illustrations are soothing after a full day of fun.

I have read this book countless times to my little ones, and they never tire of it. The idea of a magical little creature who goes around checking on the farm and talking to everyone in "tomten language, a silent little language children (and animals) can understand" is such a comforting thought. He looks after all of the animals and makes sure the family is safe at the farm. Even the family dog loves him. It's such a sweet book that introduces kids to the folklore of Scandinavia. The illustrations are gorgeous too.