Inkeri Karvonen

In the quiet stillness of his solitary home, Little Tomte looks forward to Christmas in this beautiful Finnish picture-book, having enjoyed all the seasons that came before. When he finds that he does not have the ingredients or cookware necessary for his favorite recipes, that his lone voice singing carols sounds forlorn, and that he has no presents, he feels discouraged. But then he begins to make Christmas candles, and the light they spread brings him everything and everyone he needs, to have the Christmas for which he had wished...

Originally published in Finnish as Pienen Tontun Ihmeellinen Joulu, Little Tomte's Christmas Wish is the first book I have read from author Inkeri Karvonen (it appears to be the first of her books to have been translated), although I have encountered the work of illustrator Hannu Taina before, in such titles as Mister King and The Curious Fawn, both by Raija Siekkinen. It is also the first tomte story I have encountered from Finland. In Norway, these gnome-like creatures are called nisse, so I was surprised to see their name in Finnish - tonttu - is so much closer to the Swedish tomte, given the fact that Swedish and Norwegian are in the same language family, but Finnish is not. Perhaps it is a loan word, given the long presence of the Swedish language in Finland? Whatever the case may be, the story here had a quiet, gentle feeling to it, one that made the coming of a true Christmas spirit all the more satisfying. I like the use of the theme of light in Karvonen's tale, as light is central to this holiday (as well as most winter holidays of the northern hemisphere). The accompanying artwork was lovely, and had an impressionistic quality at times that I found very appealing. Recommended to anyone seeking beautiful picture-books featuring tomte, or set at Christmas.… (mais)