THE SLIGHTLY SPOOKY TALE OF FOX AND MOLE

Ingratitude breeds monstrous results in this entrancing cautionary tale, originally published in Sweden.

To say that there’s an imbalance of power in Fox and Mole’s friendship would be an understatement. Fox is responsible and generous, while Mole indiscriminately takes without regard. Even so, the two enjoy reading together each night. One day, Fox reads The Legend of the Scuffling Monster, about a raccoon who transforms into a horrifying creature. Soon after, Mole forgets Fox’s birthday, coming over instead to eat anything on hand. “Something thorny [finds] its way to Fox’s heart,” and when he undergoes a grotesque transformation of his own that evening, Mole finds himself on the receiving end of a famished, voracious companion. When Heikkilä warns at the start that “the middle of the story might be a bit spooky,” she isn’t kidding; her standout illustrations are as capable of eliciting terror as laughs. One minute Fox is amusingly staring into space as an oblivious Mole prattles on; the next, a silent, two-page spread depicts two haunted yellow eyes against a dark background. Like Ed Young’s Lon Po Po (1989), the tale is laced with hints of the monster in the shadows. Heikkilä infuses her compelling narrative with an important, though never heavy-handed, message about balance in relationships as she explores what happens when generous souls swallow down their irritations and resentment.

A triumphant blend of humor and horror, perfect for teaching and scaring by turn.