Fox

This is a simple tale, well done. It shows baby fox growing up, eager to be out on his own, but needing to wait until his parents feel he's ready. Poignant ending when he's excited to be leaving the den but also knowing he's leaching his home. The illustrations are gorgeous - thickly painted in warm natural colors.

Sentimental. Good gift for the parents as their last child leaves home. I love that the foxes are depicted as nice, because carnivores often aren't.

(But I must be in a mood, because as I was trying to guess what little fox wanted to ready for, I kept saying to myself "Am I ready to raid a henhouse?" Well of course that's not what was going on at all. Shame on me for imagining it.)

Nice book to introduce ideas about growing up and becoming more responsible. My 3 yo enjoyed commenting about how the small fox was getting bigger but wasn't big enough yet. Especially nice touch at the end when the baby fox realizes that they are ready and informs their parents.

It is spring time and Little Fox wants to leave his den and venture into the forest. But before he can leave, his mom stops him, claiming that he isn't ready yet. Little Fox wonders when he will be ready. Then one night, his mother and father take him out into the world and show him how to find blackberries, catch rodents, and hunt birds, but still, Little Fox is not ready to go out on his own. Eventually, Fall comes and his mother gathers extra berries and seeds to store for the winter. As time goes by, Little Fox grows strong and able. At last, he is ready to go out and hunt food on his own.

This story is about a little fox who is very curious and wants to explore his environment. His mom and dad have to tell him "No, fox, no" prompting the little fox to ask "When will I be ready?", "Soon" the parents reply. As the days pass, the fox grows up to finally live on his own and his parents say "He's ready".

A cute story about growing up that I think any younger child can relate to. The illustrations are great, too!

Banks, Kate. Fox. Illus. George Hallensleben. Frances Foster Books, 2007.

Plot: A baby fox is born in the spring and is eager to explore the world on his own. His loving parents make him wait until he has learned to run, find and store food, and avoid danger.

Illustrations: The illustrations appear to be done using oil paint in rich, saturated colors. There are black outlines around the bright orange foxes and other images to clearly delineate their borders and make them stand out against the background. The endpapers set the quiet and peaceful tone of the forest.

Age: This book is appropriate for ages 6-9 because this is the age when children are seeking independence from adults, yet still need warmth and security in family relationships. show more Throughout the book, baby fox receives the reassurance of familial love while ultimately being able to obtain his independence.

Use: Children could perform research about the lifestyle
and habits of foxes and develop posters depicting their findings or experiment with paintings of animal life using rich colors. show less

Shows how a baby fox grows and learns until he is big enough to leave home.