Little Fox in the Forest

When a girl sets her treasured stuffed fox down in a playground and a real fox snatches it up, she witnesses the act but can't catch the thief. Accompanied by a school friend, the girl ventures into the woods, asking the animals they meet if they've seen the fox. Graegin's (The Lost Gift) story is wordless, but her panels are so clear that readers can easily supply dialogue of their own. When at last the children find the fox, they understand the crime (and the criminal) in a new light, and Graegin ends on a note of tenderness. The story's delights are many, but a special draw is the secret world the girl and boy discover. Their reality is painted in shades of dull blue-gray, but as they press on, small splashes of color hint at what's to come. A hedgerow doorway delivers them into a world of brilliantly colored stores and houses: it's the forest animals' own private realm, drawn in careful detail. This is a story not just to read but to inhabit. Ages 4-8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Feb.)

PreS-Gr 2--A series of monochromatic cells begin this wordless book. A young girl searches her house to bring her most treasured possession (her favorite toy, a stuffed fox) to share during show-and-tell at school. As readers turn pages, a young fox spots the toy unattended and swiftly runs off with it into the nearby forest, followed by the girl and a classmate. With each succeeding frame, the running fox is highlighted, brilliant orange against a neutral green-gray forest, each scene digitally colored with pencil, watercolor, and ink. Hidden residents gradually come to life with color until a turn of the page reveals a sudden double-page fantasy of small homes filled with personified animals. This tale of a missing toy builds to emphasize the girl's unselfishness--a gesture of a generous heart. Movement of the characters from cell to cell encourages children to infer emotions and plot action, and page details will send viewers looking for small clues that broaden the story. VERDICT An engaging exercise in reading pictures and creative narrative. A general addition for younger readers.--Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

"...viewers can pick up skills in decoding visual narrative while also getting a chance to breathlessly root around in some serious cuteness. " — Bulletin, starred review