The Tomten (Astrid Lindgren) facts for kids

The Tomten books are two popular children's stories written by the famous Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. These books are based on older poems by Viktor Rydberg and Karl-Erik Forsslund. They tell charming tales about a special creature called Tomten.

Story Summaries

The Tomten

This book takes place on a quiet farm deep in a forest. Everyone on the farm is fast asleep during the cold night. Only Tomten is awake. No one has ever actually seen Tomten, but they know he is there. Sometimes, people find his tiny footprints in the fresh snow.

Tomten is a kind and watchful guardian. He quietly visits the farm animals, making sure they are safe and warm. He whispers comforting words to them, promising that spring will arrive soon. Tomten also checks on the children, who always wish they could see him. But they are always sleeping soundly when he comes, so they only dream about him.

The Tomten and the Fox

In this story, a hungry fox named Mickel is looking for food. He hasn't found anything to eat for a long time. On Christmas Eve, Mickel discovers a farm in the forest. He sneaks into the chicken coop, hoping to catch a chicken for his meal.

However, Tomten stops him. Tomten understands how difficult it is for a fox to find food on a cold winter night. A child on the farm has left a bowl of groat (a type of porridge) on the doorstep for Tomten. Tomten decides to share this special treat with Mickel. He tells the fox that he will share food with him every night if Mickel needs it. Mickel the fox is very happy and full, and he goes back into the forest.

How the Books Were Made

The original poem about Tomten was written by Viktor Rydberg in 1881. In 1957, this poem appeared in a children's magazine called Klumpe Dumpe. It had beautiful pictures by Harald Wiberg.

Astrid Lindgren worked as an editor at a book company called Rabén & Sjögren. She loved the poem and Wiberg's illustrations. She really wanted to turn them into a book. In 1960, the book with Harald Wiberg's pictures was published. It was an instant hit!

Astrid Lindgren was so excited about the book that she wanted it to be published in other countries too. Publishers agreed, but they asked Astrid Lindgren to write a new story for the pictures. She did, making the story simpler. This new version came out in Germany that same year. A year later, it was published in the United States and other countries. In these new editions, Astrid Lindgren's name was on the cover instead of Viktor Rydberg's.

In 1965, another classic poem by Karl-Erik Forsslund was published in Sweden with Harald Wiberg's illustrations. For other countries, Astrid Lindgren wrote a new story to go with these pictures. This became the English book, The Tomten and the Fox, published in the same year.

Years later, in 2012, Astrid Lindgren's own version of The Tomten was finally published in Swedish. This happened because the German publisher found her original writings. In 2017, the book Räven och tomten (The Tomten and the Fox) was also published in Sweden with new pictures by Eva Eriksson.

Tomten in Other Stories

Astrid Lindgren also mentions Tomten and the Fox in some of her other books. Both characters appear in her novel Seacrow Island. The main character, Tjorven, leaves a plate of groat on the doorstep for Tomten. In the English version, it's for Father Christmas. The next morning, the plate is empty. Tjorven believes Tomten ate it. However, her friend Pelle thinks a hungry fox on the island took the food.

In the TV show Vi på Saltkråkan, which is based on the book, viewers see the fox eating salami bread that Tjorven puts out with the groats. Tjorven still thinks Tomten ate the salami bread. At the end of that episode, a song called Gläns över sjö och strand is sung. This song is based on another poem by Viktor Rydberg.

Films About Tomten

Two films have been made based on Astrid Lindgren's Tomten books.

In 2007, a German stop-motion animation film called Tomte Tummetott and the Fox was released. Stop-motion means that objects are moved small amounts between individually photographed frames. This film was also translated into English. The English version was included on the German DVD release. The DVD also had the Tomte Tummetott song in English, German, and Swedish.

Another animated film, Reven og Nissen, was made in Norway in 2019. It first aired on December 23, 2019, in Norway, and on December 24, 2019, in Sweden. The film was created by Qvisten Animation AS with The Astrid Lindgren Company. Reven og Nissen is about 9 minutes long. It was directed by Are Austnes and Yaprak Morali. The main song for the film was written by Joakim Berg, who is the singer of the Swedish rock band Kent. He rewrote Karl-Erik Forsslund's poem into a song. The song is sung by Peter Jöback and Moonica Mac.