Swedish illustrator Harald Wiberg, whose luminous artwork can be seen in Astrid Lindgren's The Tomten and The Tomten and the Fox, as well as in the picture-book presentation of Viktor Rydberg's original poem, The Christmas Tomten (which was the inspiration for the first of Lindgren's two titles, above), turns to storytelling himself in this lovely Christmas tale, and the result is a distinct triumph. With simple language and beautiful illustrations, he documents life on a nineteenth-century Swedish farm during the Christmas season. Following the residents of Kolartorp - farm-owner Johan-Petter, his wife Kristin, children Malin and Linus, and mother (Grandmother Stava), not to mention the eponymous tomten who watches over the farm and its residents by night - through their daily duties and seasonal observances, Christmas at the Tomten's Farm is a highly detailed love letter - to the rural customs and folk beliefs of Sweden, and to an entire way of life.

I'm so very glad that, being inspired by a group reading of Lindgren's The Tomten, and interested in other stories about these silent gnome-like beings said to guard Swedish farms, that I didn't wait until next Christmas to track this book down. Christmas at the Tomten's Farm is simply gorgeous - a true visual feast! The artwork, done in black and white on deep gray-green paper, is simply magical, with all the expressive power of Wiberg's more colorful work, and a stark simplicity that is ideally suited to the wintry landscape being depicted. The narrative itself is fascinating, overflowing with little tidbits of information - it was thought that the farmer first home from Christmas service at church (you can see them racing, on the front cover of the book), would be the first to harvest the crops, the next autumn; a cat lying on his back, with his tummy up, after being offered his Christmas cream, was thought to foretell stormy weather - and with holiday observances. From the special foods made for the farm family, to the special treat offered to the tomten (his 'wages'), everything depicted here has its place, in the fabric of the Swedish Christmas season. I found myself wondering, as I read, how many of these customs and beliefs persist today...

Whatever the case may be, this is just a lovely book, one I strongly recommend to all young readers with an interest in tomten tales, and/or Swedish Christmas stories. It's far too advanced for the younger picture-book crowd, so I would say beginning chapter-book level and above. ( )