‘Tiny Fox and Great Boar, Book One: There’ (review)

Written and Illustrated by Berenika Kołomycka
Published by Oni Press

Tiny Fox and Great Boar by Polish writer/artist Berenika Kolomycka isn’t exactly comics.

It’s a children’s book, but it adapts some of the sequential panel techniques unique to the comics format to tell its simple but beautiful story.

The story is that of a tiny fox and a great boar…but you probably guessed that because of the title, didn’t you?

In that same way, the rest of the book offers no real surprises to an adult, but to a child, it’s a lovely and somewhat suspenseful tale introducing the concepts of friendship, of sharing, of cooperation, and if one wishes to reach for it, even life and death.

The fox is alone and thinks he’s happy, so he’s more than a bit put out when the boar suddenly arrives and his familiar life is disrupted. But the boar just wants to live his own life, too. The two reluctantly tolerate each other but then, when one goes away for a while, the other begins to miss him. Eventually, they learn to not just put up with each other but to depend on each other in good times and bad.

Like most well-done children’s books, these are lessons embedded within the surface story. Also like most well-done children’s books, the simple but attractive watercolor artwork adds immeasurably to the overall impression the book would no doubt leave on a child.

Word balloons and caption boxes tell the tale, aided by the sequential illustrations. As I said above, this isn’t really comics in any kind of traditional sense but it does blur the line between a classic-style children’s book and at least a proto-graphic novel aimed at the youngest audience.

Broken into chapters, it can be read with a child in multiple settings. While I feel the book easily stands on its own and subtly imparts its numerous valuable ideas and concepts, I note that there’s already a second volume advertised online. More adventures for these new friends.

My child turns 26 later this year and just received his master’s degree in Mathematics but I would’ve read the heck out of Tiny Fox and Great Boar with him back in the day. If you have a child in your life of the right age now…

Booksteve recommends.