Fox Explores the Night

PreS-Gr 2--In this series entry, Fox wakes up hungry in her dark, cozy den, but it's too light to go outside safely. Eventually, daylight turns to dusk, and the people of the city have all gone. She leaves her den in search of food. By the time she sets off down a path, the sun is completely gone. The audience goes along on the adventure with Fox to find her food. Shadows and light come into play. She finds a mouse! Happily, for the cute mouse and even the audience perhaps, the rodent is too fast. Fox is shown sniffing through a discarded pizza box. She bumps into her reflection in a mirror in a store window. Eventually, after a few potentially dangerous missteps, she finds her dinner in a backyard cookout. She is lead home safely by the light of the moon. After this story exposing light and dark ends, readers are asked to find examples of different light sources in the book. There are plenty. Full-page, mixed media illustrations are gorgeous, enhancing the story completely. VERDICT A worthy informational consideration for preschool units on light sources, nighttime, and urban foxes.--Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI