Molly Wittus
Wonga og rævene (in English: “Wonga and the foxes”) is a clever and richly imaginative story about finding one’s place in this peculiar world – a place where one truly belongs. Whether it’s in the rain, in the forest, or in the little house out there somewhere, where solitude is gradually taken over – first by one fox, then by several. There is always room on the sofa, under the table, or over by the bookshelf for yet another fox. In this way, loneliness gains a sparring partner. The foxes become tangible symbols of how, even when you move far away – perhaps to take care of yourself – you always end up learning that you must also care for others.
Much has been written and illustrated about culture becoming nature, but rarely as precisely as here. The naive, simple, very wet and impolite foxes slowly but surely take over a house. The protagonist, Wonga, gives them shelter and lets them dry off, even though she’s already quite busy with her own tasks. For instance, it’s tricky to get an armhole to sit just right on the raincoat she’s sewing for yet another walk in the forest – what others usually call bad weather. Wonga loves it, because there’s always someone who loves what most are against. It’s simple and straightforward in both language and illustration. But it’s also much sharper, deeper, and carries a message about daring to be something different – someone different – and thus, becoming oneself.
Education can be many things. But transformation is something we rarely have stories about. Once you’ve made room for a fox in your living room, it doesn’t really matter if there’s one or many. It’s hospitality of the highest order – one that refuses to be confined by a realistic world and is thankfully open to all the others. Those other worlds where the ceilings are high and imagination flourishes, as a multifaceted tribute to all those – raincoat or not – who dare to open up to something greater than themselves.
The language in the story is the kind you speak to yourself when you’re alone. But Wonga isn’t alone. Because loneliness isn’t allowed to take up too much space when nature knocks and steps inside. It’s beautiful, sharp, and brave to tell such big things in such a simple way – in both words and pictures.
Many of us would surely love to go on a trip in the forest in the pouring rain with Wonga, in a raincoat and with a fox in hand.
Molly Wittus (born in 1985) is an illustrator and author. She was educated at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design, and the Danish Writing School for Children’s Literature. Molly Wittus debuted as an illustrator in 2023 with the book På hotel (not translated into English), with text written by Reimar Torkil Juul.