The Fox as Herdsman

written by Peter Christian Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe

ebook; SurLaLune Fairy Tales, 2008

Genre: Children's Fiction; fairy tale

Reading Level: Ages 4-8

1 page

The Fox as Herdsman is a tale about an old woman searching for a herdsman for her flock. She first runs into a bear who says that he would be happy to be her herdsman, she asks how he would call the flock and he yells, the old woman says no that won't do, and moves on. She next comes to a wolf and the same thing happens. Finally she meets a fox who yells, "dil-dal-holom" and she agrees to let him be a herdsman for her flock. The first day the fox eats all the woman's goats, the second day he eats all her sheep, and the last day he eats all her kine. He then returns to the woman's home and tells her he is done herding and their skulls are in one place and their bodies in another. The woman goes out to look, and while she is gone the fox eats the cream the old woman has just churned. When the old woman gets back she is furious and chases the fox away and throws the last little bit of cream at it which sticks to his tail. Which is why foxes to this day have white tipped tails.

I would recommend this book to any child who likes tales that give explanations and that are entertaining.

I can think of no conflict that could come from reading this story to a child.

I really enjoyed this particular fairy tale. It was witty, unique, and i really like tales that explain things that are still true today, similar to Indian tales.

My rating 4 out of 5

I also read: The Blue Belt, The Three Princesses of Whiteland, and The Three Aunts.