This story follows a boy named Paul who befriends an orange fox. The fox teaches Paul that happiness can be found in simple pleasures and their friendship brings Paul joy. However, Paul's family moves to a new, bigger city and he worries he will lose his friend. Later, Paul discovers the fox has followed him to the new park, where their swinging and adventures continue. Themes of friendship, change, and finding happiness are explored.

1. by Evelina Daciute

3. AbouttheAuthor
Evelina Daciutė
1975- 01 -30
Vilnius , Lithuanian writer, journalist
Graduated from Vilnius University (1998
– bachelor's degree in journalism, 2001 –
master's degree in public relations).

4. AbouttheAuthor
Lived in China from 2011 to 2015, moved to the
United States in 2018. She made her debut with
stories for children Meškių štorii(illustrator Rasa
Kaper, 4 volumes 2014–16), recognized as the best
children's book 2015 by the Lithuanian branch of
IBBY; translated into Chinese and Russian). They
explore the themes of curiosity, friendship, anger,
greed, sadness, joy, dreams and other topics, the
influence of Chinese culture is felt - Chinese stories
are included, they teach you to stop and listen.

5. AbouttheAuthor
Lived in China from 2011 to 2015, moved to the
United States in 2018. She made her debut with
stories for children Meškių štorii(illustrator Rasa
Kaper, 4 volumes 2014–16), recognized as the best
children's book 2015 by the Lithuanian branch of
IBBY; translated into Chinese and Russian). They
explore the themes of curiosity, friendship, anger,
greed, sadness, joy, dreams and other topics, the
influence of Chinese culture is felt - Chinese stories
are included, they teach you to stop and listen.

6. AbouttheAuthor
In the book Happiness is a fox (illustrator Aušra
Kiudulaitė, 2016 4 2019, IBBY Lithuanian branch
Domicelė Tarabildienė prize for the most beautiful book
of the year 2016, Bologna fairs, Nami, South Korea,
Sharjah illustrators exhibition diplomas 2017, American
Library Association Mildred L. Batchelder award 2019;
2018 for illustrations included in the IBBY honor list,
2019 - in the catalog of the world's most significant
children's books Baltijeji varnai / The White Ravens
(translated into English, Chinese, Korean, Latvian,
Romanian, Slovak, Ukrainian) tells the story of a boy
looking for happiness, Povila, who befriends on the page,
themes of loss, sadness, joy are developed.

8. by Evelina Daciute

9. Once upon a time, there was
a boy names Paul.
Wait! that’s not quite right!
This story begins in a different
way.

10. In a big city, there was a pretty park on
the edge of the park. There was a very
tall tree which had been growing there
for a very long time. The tree was special
not only because it was very old and
very tall but because people lived inside
it. A boy named Paul, his mother and his
father. They were a fairly normal family,
apart from the fact that they lived in the
tree.

11. Every morning, Paul’s father climbed the ladder
on the top of the tree. There was a small
helicopter pad up there and an orange helicopter.
Paul’s father would get into the helicopter and fly
away out of sight. It was his job to take people
and things from one place to another. Paul’s
mother worked at home, making things out of
clay. She makes vases, bowls and pots. Most of
them were orange. When she made so many
pots, that there was no room to walk across the
floor, Pauls father pile all of her pottery into his
helicopter and take it to a shop in the city where
it would be sold.

12. Every afternoon, Paul’s mother asked him to run
down to the bakery to buy fresh bread rolls.
“When your dad comes home, we’ll sit down
together and drink tea and eat the rolls, they’ll
be so delicious”.
Then she would give Paul’s some money and a
bag to carry the rolls. What Paul liked best was to
take the shortest route to the bakery and the
long way home .Walking the same way twice was
a little bit boring after all.

13. On his way to the bakery, He saw parents with
babies, runners, cyclists, dog walkers and kids
riding scooters and skate boards.
When he reached the edge of the park, he could
find the bakery with his eyes closed in fact he
often tried to do exactly that he would shut his
eyes and let the wonderful smell lead him to the
bakery. Sometimes it worked but sometimes, he
would trip over a stone or bump into someone
else, nobody liked that.

14. Once he arrived at the bakery, Paul would give
his money to the baker, Maggie who made all
the bread and cakes herself. Paul would ask for
three fresh rolls and Maggie would put them in
a paper bag for him then Paul would set off for
home. Paul would kept his eyes wide open as
he walked home he didn’t want to miss a thing.
He saw strangely shaped stones, fascinating
twisted roots, fancy birds that had escaped
from the zoo, and Puddles that glistened on
the ground.

15. But the thing that Paul liked most of all was the
old swing in the park. Not to swing on himself
but because there was a fox who like to curl up
and sleep on the seat of the swing.
Paul didn’t see her there every day maybe
once a week.
One day, Paul saw something he could hardly
believe. The fox was actually swinging on the
swing. The fox saw Paul and just kept on
swinging then she stopped, sniffed at the air,
looked Paul in the eye and said, “Being
generous is like an ocean, would you like to be
a drop in that ocean?”

16. Paul didn’t understand, but he
nodded anyway. “Then give me one of
your rolls”, the fox said.
Paul didn’t really want to share the
rolls with the fox. There were only
three rolls, one for himself, one for his
mother and his father. However, after
frowning just a little, he took out his
own roll and gave it to the fox. After
that, whenever he met the fox, he
gave her his roll.

17. On those days, Pauls parent did not
quite believe his story about the fox
and why the third roll had
disappeared but when they sat down
for tea, they would break off pieces of
their own rolls and give them to Paul.
“Having the fox as your friend is the
same as swinging on a swing”. Paul
said as he ate,” There are ups and
downs, one day it might be fun, the
next day, it might not be so fun.”

18. Some days, he found the fox in a bad
mood. “I’m down in the dumps”. The fox
might say sometimes she added, “I have a
bad case of the blues” and when the fox
has a blues, there’s not much you can do to
make it bright and orange again.
The fox would tell Paul all sorts of stories
that she had heard from her grandmother,
who was a very old fox. Paul did not always
understand the stories. They were a little
bit strange.

19. “Are you calling my stories strange”? Asked
the fox in a temper.
“My stories are perfectly fine, It must be
you that’s strange”
Paul told the fox stories about his own life
often he asked her for advice.
“My grandfather was a wise old fox.”

20. The fox would say “He told me that
everything depend on your point of view
things can change, depending on whether
you look at them from up above or down
below. From the left or from the right, so
ask me again when you’ve looked at the
problem from all sides.
One day when the fox was in a very good
mood, she said, “the best thing to do is
keep on swinging”
Then she explained that the happiest
things in the world are orange.

21. “Happiness is a fox on a swing and a
big orange, orange!” she yelled as the
swing carried her high into the sky,
“Happiness is carrot cake, goldfish,
marmalade and trees in autumn”.
And then she let Paul take turn on the
swing.

22. As he flew through the air, Paul called
out “Happiness is my mother’s pots
and my dad’s helicopter! “Happiness
is an orange basketball and Maggie’s
ginger cat!”
“But most of all happiness is a fox!”
“Will I always find you here?” Paul
asked.
“Of course not”, the fox replied.

23. “When I needed to be somewhere else,
That’s where I’ll go”
“But what about me?”, Paul asked sadly.
The fox thought about that for a moment.
“For a while, I think you’ll walk this way
and still expect to find me here then you’ll
stop coming this way so you don’t have to
see this place and this swings anymore but
sooner or later, someone will come along
to take my place.”

24. After this conversation, things were
never the same again. Paul felt uneasy
as he walked the long way home. If
the fox wasn’t there, he’d worried that
he’d never see her again, if she was
there, he felt happier than he’d ever
felt before.

25. One day, Paul’s father came home
from work much happier than usual.
He kissed Pauls mother and lifted Paul
high up into the air. He told them that
soon, they would be moving to an
even bigger city where they would live
in an even taller three in an even
bigger park and he would fly in an
even bigger helicopter.

26. “Everything will be so much better
than before”, Paul’s father said.
“But what if were happy enough
already?” Paul asked. He really didn’t
want to live anywhere else.
There’s no such thing as being happy
enough”, his father said.

27. “Things can always get better”.
The next time they met, Paul and the
fox looked up at the stars together.
Then Paul told the fox that he has
going to move away.
“So this is how will happen, you’re
going to disappear and I will stay
here,” the fox said.

28. “I’m not disappearing, they’re making me
move. It’s not the same thing” Paul cried.
“I don’t want to leave, I want to stay here!
You’re my best friend!”
“My father who was a very wise fox always
said that it takes time to know when
something is good”, the fox said to Paul.

29. “Imagine a cake with cream inside, you
might not bite into the cream right away
but only get to it after a few bites if you
keep eating, the cake will taste better and
better.”
Week later, Paul and his parents climbed
into the bigger helicopter and flew to the
bigger park in the bigger city to their bigger
home in the taller tree. Days went by, Paul
did not feel better, only worse.

30. Paul felt angry.
“You promised everything would be better
here”, he said to his father.
“You need to give it to sometime” Paul’s
mother said.
“Just wait a little longer, and things will get
better”.
“Try to be patient”, his father added.
“Remember, Good things come to those
who wait”.

31. Just like before, Paul walked to the bakery
every day. The new bakery was bigger than
the old one and the two bakers worked
there. Their names were Emily and Rose.
One of them put three fresh rolls into a
paper bag and Paul would walk home the
same way he had come.

32. One day, on his way home from the bakery,
Paul saw a path winding through the
woods. He hadn’t noticed it before. Feeling
curious, he headed down the path.

33. As he walked, he noticed strangely shaped
stones and fascinating twisted roots. He
saw fancy birds that looked as though they
had escaped from the zoo and puddles
that glistened on the ground. Paul began to
run along the path, jumping in the air for
joy. He was having so much fun then
suddenly, in the distance, he saw he saw a
swing. The swing was flying back and forth
through the air. And there on the swing
was the Orange Fox.

34. “Fox!” Paul called out.
“How did you get here?”
“I told you!” the fox answered.
“When I need to be somewhere else,
That’s where I go”
“Want a turn on the swing?”
“Yes please!”

35. “I’ve missed swinging so much. I’ve missed yelling
about what happiness is”.
“A big orange, orange! My mother’s pots and my
dad’s helicopter”
“Carrot cake, goldfish, marmalade and tress in the
autumn!”
“In orange basketball and orange pet hamster!”
But most of all, Happiness is the Fox!

36. The end!

37. Themes
• The book's themes are friendship,
change, loss and the importance of
seeking happiness in the little things of
life.
• The Fox on the Swing is a delightful story
about best friends, big dreams and what
happiness really means.

38. Structuresandforms
This fresh and unexpected Lithuanian import transcends easy
categorization. Paul’s father flies helicopters, his mother is a
potter, and they live in a tree. In episodic passages, Daciute
lays out these whimsical details with cheerful matter-of-
factness. A parade of people, vehicles, and animals through
Kiudulaite’s colorful digital collages contributes to the
atmosphere of bouncy unpredictability.

39. Structuresandforms
The story is very much a combination of a modern theme
with a classical feel to it as well. On the surface it is a story
about a young man moving, but deeper into the story, it is a
story about growing up. It is philosophical and a bit abstract.
Using orange to symbolize the “good things” of the child’s life
(the orange pottery of his mother, the orange fox, the orange
helicopter) also makes things a bit abstract. But at the same
time, this abstractness is a contradiction to the obviousness
of the story. It is obviously a story about moving, about
growing up, and learning that things change.

40. Literarydevices
Imagery- description of the settings as decribe by the author in the
story.
Symbolism- Orange symbolizes as goo things etc.
Repetition – Ehen the fox and the boy yelled out on the swing
Personifications- abstact meaning of the fox to the boy.
Simile- As Paul compares their way oflife as they move to the bigger
city
Metaphor- The description of Happiness to the fox and the boy

41. UNIVERSALITY
Friendship can always tie all of us altogether until the end of
life; that is always be the reason to live a life happily with
satisfaction and meaningful reasons. Furthermore, it is writte
in the story of how we can perceive happiness through a
genuine heart and deeds. Friendship is a great weapon to
unite people all over the world.

42. PERMANENCE
The story is not meant only for the younger child. There is not a
lot of Western “flashy adventure” as the story is fairly “quiet” in
tone. However, it could be good for an adult going through some
changes in their own life (mostly if they have had a loss) or who
like children stories that are usual. This is due to the fact the art is
also realistically-abstract, again being a contradiction, but making
perfect sense.

43. PERMANENCE
As we can see about the happenings around us, there are so many kinds of
struggles and chaos; those are so toxic because they’re getting worse and
unstoppable. But we must continue to be positive and happy despite of all
the challenges in our lives in order to overcome all the bad effects of this
world’s chaos. It always depends on our emotions on how we react and so,
we must not stop to be happy, satisfied and encouraged in order to realize of
how blessed to live a life to the fullest. I really love this story because of how
the fox taught Paul about happiness.

44. SpiritualValue
In the story of the Fox and Paul, it can be noticed that
friendship is also a tie of souls. There are many stories and
verses in the Bible about friendship and it can really
provide a lesson to anyone. It means that having a true
friend is always possible especially when you ask GOD for
having a friend who has a genuine heart and a friend who
can be happy even in a small thing.

45. IntellectualValue
Be friendly to others even though they are not perfect
to be your friends because everyone is unique. Once
you choose a friend, be truly happy of having him/her
because it does mean that you are genuine. A true
person can be a good friend for he/she cannot be bad
to others.

46. EmotionalValue
To find a true friend who can provide you a genuine
love and care ;it is so rare because there’s a sad reality
that there are friends who just stick on you once you
can help them. But having a real friend who can make
you feel satisfied and loved like what the Fox had
portrayed to Paul, you can also be very blessed and
fortunate.

47. Morallesson
To live life to the fullest and to find the real meaning
of happiness, be content and love whatever you have.
It depends on how we give an importance to a little
thing instead of making it complicated. Moreover, life
is short and everything must be treasured temporarily
in this world.