In children's literature

Children's literature

Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...

, the Quiffin is a mythic animal that resembles a white llama

Llama

The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since pre-Hispanic times....

 or a long-necked unicorn without a horn. Quiffins graze in the forests of Scandinavian countries, particularly forests near the Oresund

Oresund

The Sound , is the strait that separates the Danish island Zealand from the southern Swedish province of Scania. Its width is just at the narrowest point between Helsingør, Denmark, and Helsingborg, Sweden...

 separating Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 from Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

. Quiffins can fly, although they prefer to walk; quiffins can also swim over twelve miles if need be, although they are not fond of water. Quiffins were first described in Hans Peterson

Hans Peterson

Hans Peterson is a Swedish writer, mainly of children's literature. He was born in 1922 in Väring in Västergötland, Sweden and has received many prizes and recognition for his work.-Prizes and recognition:...

's book, Liselott och garaffen, which won the 1962 Children's Book of the Year in Sweden and which was translated into English as Liselott and the Quiffin.

Quiffins are ordinarily shy, but they have several properties that endear them to children whom they choose to befriend. First and foremost, they think only good thoughts about their friends, and vice versa. Secondly, they are elegant and graceful creatures, and comfortable in many situations, whether standing in the rain, resting in a hastily built house, or swaying in the boughs of a tree into which they have flown. They are very obliging, and gladly perform tricks to amuse their friends. They are also very patient, always remembering their friends and always willing to comfort them, no matter how many years have passed since their last meeting. Finally, quiffins have cloven hooves

Hoof

A hoof , plural hooves or hoofs , is the tip of a toe of an ungulate mammal, strengthened by a thick horny covering. The hoof consists of a hard or rubbery sole, and a hard wall formed by a thick nail rolled around the tip of the toe. The weight of the animal is normally borne by both the sole...

 and beautiful white fur

Fur

Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...

that is warm and comforting even when wet.