Quick Look
- The heart-warming tale of a fascinating festive tradition by a renowned illustrator
- A charming, child-friendly story which presents one culture's Christmas traditions in fascinating detail and teaches children about doing the right thing
- Marit Törnqvist's accomplished artwork vividly brings the beautiful Prague setting to life
A charming Christmas story about a little boy and his Grandpa, set against a traditional Prague background. From acclaimed illustrator Marit Törnqvist.
Description
The traditional Christmas meal in Prague isn't turkey or ham, but a special kind of Christmas fish.
On Christmas Eve, Tom chooses his live fish at the market, and calls it Peppo. He carefully carries it home, through the streets of Prague's old town, in a big bag of water. Tom loves his new pet, but what fate awaits Peppo as the Christmas meal draws near?
This charming, child-friendly story presents one culture's Christmas traditions in fascinating detail. At its core is a heartwarming tale of a boy and his grandpa, as they both learn about doing the right thing.
Marit Törnqvist's accomplished artwork vividly brings Tom and Peppo's story, and the beautiful city of Prague, to life.
Reviews
'The illustrations are beautiful, and this is a great book for learning about the traditions of other cultures.'
--Juno magazine
'To the bustling streets of Prague we go for 'Tom’s Christmas Fish', an endearing story of a boy and his grandfather and the live freshwater carp they procure, like 'everyone in the whole country', for their Christmas dinner. Rita Törnqvist-Verschuur’s snug watercolors quickly situate us amid the pastel buildings and stone bridges of the Czech capital […] Marit Törnqvist's emotionally astute story will acquaint readers ages 4-9 with European traditions -- such as making carp-shaped cookies -- that may be new to them.'
-- Wall Street Journal
Author
Rita Törnqvist-Verschuur was born in Amsterdam in1935, and studied Swedish language and literature. She lived in Sweden for ten years with her husband and three children, including her daughter Marit. Rita worked as a translator, and translated many books by Astrid Lindgren, before writing her own books for children and adults. She wrote eight volumes of memoirs, starting with her experiences as a child during the Second World War. Her books Tadpoles on the Piano and The Old Musician were translated into English.
Marit Törnqvist was born in 1964 in Uppsala, Sweden and divides her time between the Netherlands and Sweden. She studied illustration at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. In 2011 she was awarded a Golden Plaque from the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, one of the most prestigious children's illustration awards. She has illustrated several of Astrid Lindgren's picture books, including A Calf for Christmas, Goran's Great Escape, and In the Land of Twilight, all published by Floris Books.
