Scary Stories for Young Foxes

Eager for scary stories, six fox kits sneak away from their den in the Antler Wood and make their way to Bog Cavern, where the old storyteller regales them with the tale of two young foxes, born of different families, whose youthful misfortunes bring them together. When all of Mia's siblings, as well as her tutor Miss Vix are stricken by the "yellow disease," she and her mother set off into exile, only to become separated when they run afoul of an unexpected human enemy, in the form of Beatrix Potter. Uly, in the meantime, is persecuted by his sisters (and unbeknownst to him at first, his father) for having an atrophied leg, and must eventually flee his own family, when it becomes apparent that his life is in danger. Not yet fully show more grown, and unprepared for life in the wild, the two kits meet up and go on to encounter many more dangers, all related by the storyteller to the kits in Antler Wood. As each episode is completed, another kit sneaks off home, leading to the question: will any of the listeners stick it out to the end? More importantly, what purpose do these scary stories serve...?

Due out for publication next month (August, 2019), Scary Stories for Young Foxes is animal fiction at its best, and I'm grateful to the work colleague who set the ARC of it aside for me, knowing my fondness for fox stories. Christian McKay Heidicker really captures the vulpine perspective in his writing here, and I appreciated the way in which monstrous things, things that might at first glance appear fantastical to the reader, are shown to be natural - for instance, the "yellow disease" is clearly rabies - as this highlights how differently things must look to our foxy friends. I wasn't really sure what to expect, going in - horror? dark fantasy? - but what I found was fairly realistic animal fiction, with an emphasis on the hardships and dangers to be found in the wild. I didn't find the stories particularly scary, but clearly the young foxes did, and I would imagine young children might as well. Heidicker writes well, with both humor and pathos, and I was completely invested in these characters, hoping throughout that they would find a (relatively) happy ending. The artwork from Junyi Wu, although not final in this ARC edition, is lovely, and added to my enjoyment, as did the choice to use black paper for the scenes depicting the storyteller and listening foxes, and white paper for the eight inset tales. The tying together of those two strands - storyteller and stories - at the end proved most satisfying. Recommended to fox lovers young and old, as well as to any reader who enjoys good animal fiction. show less

i loved this. the writing is crisp, the characters are so well drawn, the stories themselves are excellent and all tie together perfectly. i love a story within a story situation and especially appreciate the framework he used here, where he continues to return to the storyteller and the listeners, rather than just having the beginning and end scaffolding of someone telling a story that rarely works for me. these are creepy and wholesome and all about finding yourself and the people (or foxes) who appreciate you for who you are. this is really, really well done.

It can be a fearsome thing to be a young fox, too soon alone in the world. Fox kits Mia and Uly, each separated from their families, must make their way through all of the world's dangers in order to have any hope of surviving to adulthood.

This dark set of tales (really just one tale, with a framing device of an old fox telling the story to a dwindling number of kits) shows nature to be red in tooth and claw, indeed. There is death and disaster. Adults do not always take care of the young. Good does not always triumph. But for those who stick around to the very end, there is some measure of hope and redemption . . . if you can get through the scary parts. I'd recommend this to middle-grade readers with a taste for horror, especially show more those who can take stories where bad things happen to animals. It was a little darker than what I'd usually read, but indubitably well-written. show less

THIS is how you write a proper story with a chilly bite.
It gave me some proper chills. Hurray! This is great because it's hard to find anything to make me satisfyingly tingly.

Can somebody please explain why all the good stuff happens in the middle-grade lit? Lately all the good stories happen here.

This book is lovely. It's both a big overarching story and a collection of smaller stories (so you can do like the kits - devour one tale at a time, and stop if feels like too much). The tale is masterfully spun. It's mostly evenly horrible - in the best kind of way!

It's not all grim, though. There's humour and lightness, and adventure. It can hardly be called an adventure without some degree of fear.

As someone who did not much care for show more upright-walking animals (still don't, really), I feel kind of sorry for people who grew up with adoration for Beatrix Potter's stories and the like. Don't think they'd be able to look at them quite the same after reading this book.

AN IMMENSELY SATISFYING READ.

RECOMMENDED! show less

Seven little foxes in the Antler Wood make their way to the cave of the old fox to hear scary stories...

Readers expecting sweet, comforting animal stories will be disappointed; These are dark, frightening, often sad stories with a tinge of realism. The old fox storyteller in Bog Cavern tells a series of interconnected stories about two young foxes, Uly and Mia, to a slowly dwindling audience of fox kits, interspersed with dialogue with the young foxes and Wu's chilling black and white charcoal pictures.

Mia begins, with a terrifying encounter with her teacher Miss Vix, who comes under the influence of "the yellow," or rabies. Fleeing with her mother, she then encounters an even more terrifying menace; humans, in the shape of Beatrix show more Potter, taxidermist and soul-stealing artist. Meanwhile, Uly, who has a withered leg, is taunted and tormented by his cruel sisters, haunted by his own, all-too-real fears, and eventually flees his abusive and demented father. The two meet and struggle on together, both longing and searching for their mothers. They encounter the terrifying Golgathursh, the cruel and deceptive Mr. Scratch, and finally a ghostly return from the beginning of the story tests all their strength and cunning to not only survive but to save the orphaned kits they have found.

Only one fox kit remains at the end of the series of tales, as the morning sun rises and her mother calls her home. More connections are made and while there may not be a bright future ahead - the sounds of development and destruction are all around - the old fox has hope that her kind will continue to triumph over the many frightening dangers they face.

As an adult, I found the section on Beatrix Potter annoying - yes, she did practice taxidermy and was not sentimental about animals, but she was also responsible for the preservation of the Lake District - the home of the foxes - and I am doubtful that, since she was so unsentimental about animals, that she would have had the viewpoints of foxes being "bad" that were espoused here. But kids aren't likely to even know who she is, so that's really a personal quibble. Many of the stories focus on betrayal and abuse by family and friends and the terror comes from the sudden change from familiar and loving to strange and cruel. Sensitive children will absolutely not want to read this, not even kids who have made it through books like One and Only Ivan. This is one for fans of Scary Stories to tell in the dark and readers who like the dark and gruesome with a healthy dose of atmospheric terror.

Verdict: Hand to readers who love chilling stories and are also strong readers, as the build-up to the fear can be slow going. If you could get the audience together, it would be cool to read it aloud leading up to Halloween, although you're just as likely to get complaints that it's too scary! This is the natural successor to Watership Down. You have been warned.

ISBN: 9781250181428; Published July 2019 by Henry Holt Books; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

I picked this book up on a whim as a Christmas present for my husband and I'm so glad I did! It is extremely charming, and actually quite scary. It's a realistic approach to animal fiction (think Watership Down) and the first story almost put me off because it's scary just because the real world is terrible sometimes. The framing narrative of "can you sit through the night" is a good mechanism for assuring the reader that it'll pay off, and it does. The stories grow and intertwine, and by the end it's uplifting in a still realistic way. I learned some things about foxes! And Beatrix Potter makes a surprise appearance as a villain? Really, really charming, keeps you guessing and questioning, and it's also a gorgeous physical book. Highly show more recommended (perhaps not, actually, for young children?). show less

Life as a young fox is scary, with so much to learn about the dangers out there in the woods. Little foxes learn about these dangers from their mama, a masterful storyteller, or the hard way, by facing the world.
This beautifully-written and illustrated middle-grade book invites the reader to step inside the minds of little foxes, and embark on an adventure, full of the real-life challenges that they often face:
Nasty humans, vicious woodland creatures like the Golgathursh and badgers, and dangerous territorial foxes. And especially the harsh Winter.
This is a tale within a tale, and just like scary stories told around a campfire, it has elements of horror and delight. Not only is it precautionary for fox kits, like foxes Mia and Uly, show more readers will recognize the themes of friendship, family, bravery, and the drive to push ahead when life is difficult.

Author Christian McKay Heidicker has a way with words too, and through his writing he has conveyed a very vivid picture of woodland life, describing objects as a fox would see them, and creating new words for things that wouldn’t make sense to them. He also doesn’t shy away from the brutality of nature, from the cycle of life and death, and the struggle for survival against the most difficult of odds. The young foxes in his story face hunters, painful separation from family members, and gruesome injuries and death. Heidicker draws inspiration from classic authors Bram Stoker, Edgar Allen Poe, and H.P. Lovecraft, and weaves in a very well-known children’s book author into this very book; young readers who love a scary story will enjoy this, but it’s not for those who are easily upset by animals getting hurt or struggle with the harshness of nature.

The most wonderful part in my reading this (aside from enjoying the adventure and the amazing artwork by Junyi Wu) was how it reminded me of discovering books about animals in my childhood, such as ‘Charlotte’s Web,’ ‘The Wind in The Willows,’ and ‘Watership Down.’ I enjoyed these with my dad, and they fueled my love and compassion for animals. I expect many readers who will enjoy this book will be or are animal-lovers too, as Heidicker has embodied the curious and mischievous nature of foxes so well in this book, and it’s really hard not to love them because of it. This deserves to be a children’s animal classic! show less