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Fox and His Friends #6
Fox On The Job
Level Three
When Fox breaks his bike, his mom tells him to get a job to pay for a new one. He tries working at a shoe store (too much!), an amusement park (too scary!), and even tries delivering pizzas (too fast!). Then he finds a job that's just his speed - bed testing in a store window! Zzzzzzz!
When Fox breaks his bike, his mom tells him to get a job to pay for a new one. He tries working at a shoe store (too much!), an amusement park (too scary!), and even tries delivering pizzas (too fast!). Then he finds a job that's just his speed - bed testing in a store window! Zzzzzzz!
48 pages, Paperback
First published April 30, 1988
3 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
Edward Marshall
19 books10 followersJames Edward Marshall (October 10, 1942 – October 13, 1992), who also wrote as Edward Marshall, was a children's author and illustrator.
His father worked on the railroad, was a band member in the 1930s, and his mother sang in the local church choir. His family later moved to Beaumont, Texas. Marshall said: "Beaumont is deep south and swampy and I hated it. I knew I would die if I stayed there so I diligently studied the viola, and eventually won a scholarship to the New England Conservatory in Boston."[1] He entered the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, but injured his hand, ending his music career. He returned to Texas, where he attended San Antonio College, and later transferred to Southern Connecticut State University where he received degrees in French and history.
It is said that he discovered his vocation on a 1971 summer afternoon, lying on a hammock drawing. His mother was watching Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and the main characters, George and Martha, ultimately became characters in one of his children's books. Marshall continued as a children's author until his untimely death in 1992 of a brain tumor. In 1998, George and Martha became the basis of an eponymous animated children's television show.
In addition to George and Martha, the lovable hippopotami, James Marshall created dozens of other uniquely appealing characters. He is well-known for his Fox series (which he wrote as "Edward Marshall"), as well as the Miss Nelson books, the Stupids, the Cut-ups, and many more. James Marshall had the uncanny ability to elicit wild delight from readers with relatively little text and simple drawings. With only two minute dots for eyes, his illustrated characters are able to express a wide range of emotion, and produce howls of laughter from both children and adults.
His father worked on the railroad, was a band member in the 1930s, and his mother sang in the local church choir. His family later moved to Beaumont, Texas. Marshall said: "Beaumont is deep south and swampy and I hated it. I knew I would die if I stayed there so I diligently studied the viola, and eventually won a scholarship to the New England Conservatory in Boston."[1] He entered the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, but injured his hand, ending his music career. He returned to Texas, where he attended San Antonio College, and later transferred to Southern Connecticut State University where he received degrees in French and history.
It is said that he discovered his vocation on a 1971 summer afternoon, lying on a hammock drawing. His mother was watching Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and the main characters, George and Martha, ultimately became characters in one of his children's books. Marshall continued as a children's author until his untimely death in 1992 of a brain tumor. In 1998, George and Martha became the basis of an eponymous animated children's television show.
In addition to George and Martha, the lovable hippopotami, James Marshall created dozens of other uniquely appealing characters. He is well-known for his Fox series (which he wrote as "Edward Marshall"), as well as the Miss Nelson books, the Stupids, the Cut-ups, and many more. James Marshall had the uncanny ability to elicit wild delight from readers with relatively little text and simple drawings. With only two minute dots for eyes, his illustrated characters are able to express a wide range of emotion, and produce howls of laughter from both children and adults.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 17, 2024
I read this with my 7 year old boys and they thought it was hilarious.
October 22, 2023
Fox on the Job is a cute story with colorful illustrations and unique animal characters with their own fun, human-like features and wardrobes. Our main character, Fox, begins the story by breaking his beloved bicycle after showing off to a group of girls. He begs his mother to buy him a new one, but she insists that he find a job to pay for it himself. Fox tries out working (unsuccessfully) at a shoe store, a hall haunted house at a carnival, then a pizza place before getting fired from all of them and eventually settling on a furniture store. He managed to convince the owner to hire him and sell the furniture by testing it out in the shop window. Business boomed and left Fox dreaming happy about purchasing his new bike. This book is easy to read and perfect for reading aloud to students and using different voices for all the quirky characters in it.
An example for a writing prompt for students could be a question asking if the students ever wanted to buy something really bad and describe it and why, or they cam write a few sentences about their dream and job and draw a picture alongside it.
An example for a writing prompt for students could be a question asking if the students ever wanted to buy something really bad and describe it and why, or they cam write a few sentences about their dream and job and draw a picture alongside it.
March 29, 2023
I absolutely adored readying the book "Fox on the Job" by James Marshall. This book is all about a lazy little fox who breaks his bike. He doesn't have any money to pay for anything to fix it. His mom tells him he has to get a job to pay for a new one. He ends up trying multiple different places like: the shoe store, the pizza store, a haunted house, but he gets fired from all of them. The fox wasn't showing great work ethic at any place because he was just so lazy! Finally, he finds the perfect job, which is helping at a furniture store that doesn't get too much business. He puts a bed in the front of the display window, and falls asleep in it so that the store can finally get business. This book is simply just adorable, and is a great read for a child ready to transition to reading longer books on their own! The illustrations in this book were very clear and would be easy for kids to understand. They play along well with the story, and I definitely recommend this book for a future read!
November 17, 2017
"Fox On The Job" by James Marshall is playful and imaginative that children will enjoy. The chapters are broken down into book to increase difficulty throughout the reading. Fox's Mother tells Fox he must get a job to pay for his broken bike. Even his sister will not give him the money. He tries baking pizzas, and working in a carnival but soon realize these jobs aren't meant for him. He finally find the perfect job of sleeping in a store window for a mattress store.
The plot of this story will keep children interested and laughing through out the reading. Teachers can discuss charter development of the Fox and problem solving skills. Children will be encouraged to read above their original level at the beginning of the story to read the story of the Fox. The illustrations were intriguing and creative. The fox's actions and thoughts are clearly shown on the pages. I recommend this book to students kindergarten- third.
The plot of this story will keep children interested and laughing through out the reading. Teachers can discuss charter development of the Fox and problem solving skills. Children will be encouraged to read above their original level at the beginning of the story to read the story of the Fox. The illustrations were intriguing and creative. The fox's actions and thoughts are clearly shown on the pages. I recommend this book to students kindergarten- third.
November 6, 2019
Fox on the Job by James Marshall is an adorable little book about Fox, a lazy young fox who doesn't like working very much. After breaking his bike, his mom (like all moms) says he needs to go to work to pay for a new one. Fox proceeds to try working for a number of different jobs until he finds one that's right for him. I love this book as a great way to start talking to students about work ethic and the concept of working for a living. I can totally picture parents and teachers using this book as a way to introduce tasks and chores to students at home or in the classroom. I love the illustrations, they're super simple to me but very clean. You can see how cool the fox is with his little shirt and sunglasses. The colors are generally pretty bright. A good way to get students engaged and I'd recommend this for 1st - 3rd-grade classrooms.
May 12, 2018
The easy to read book “Fox on the Job” by James Marshall is a story of fox who is desperate to find money in order to fix his broken bike. He asks his family for money but his mom tells him he must get a job. He tries working in shoe store, a pizza shop, a haunted house and at a carnival but they don't work out for the fox. Finally, he gets a job he enjoys, sleeping in the store window on new mattresses. This book would be terrific for young students and they would enjoy it because the plot includes an interesting character development of the fox. The story is also very humorous and would keep readers interested. The illustrations have vivid colors and add to the understanding of the story. I would recommend this to beginning readers in kindergarten through second grade.
December 6, 2017
This book is about a Fox boy who is really lazy. He ends up breaking his bike, so his mom tells him that he will need to get a job to get money to buy a new bike. He ends up trying to have a job at multiple places, the shoe store, the pizza store, a haunted house, but he gets fired from all of them. Finally, he finds the perfect job-to help a furniture store that doesn't get much business. He puts a bed in the front of the display, then falls asleep in it so that the store can finally get business.This book is very humorous and is a great read for a child ready to transition to reading longer books on their own. It also integrates illustrations well, making them small and simple so the child can focus more on the words they are reading and the story that they are reading.
October 22, 2018
Fox On The Job is an easy to read book by James Marshall. This book is a book for children learning how to read. Fox On the Job is about a fox that breaks his bike. In order to fix his bike, he has to pay for it. His mom tells him to get a job but nothing works out for him until it involves sleeping. This book had easy concepts and pictures to help a students learn how to read. I actually remember reading this book when I was little, it helped me learn how to read and pronounce words. I would read multiple of these books every single night until I could read them with no help. This book should be for kindergartners or first graders.
March 6, 2019
I would recommend this book to children ages 6-8. It's a cute, funny, imaginative book that is simple for young readers wanting to advance their reading level. It is about a fox that breaks his bike and his mother tells him he needs to get a job to pay for it. This is a good lesson for young children because it will teach them the importance of working hard for things you want. The fox tries a few jobs, but they aren't right for him. Eventually, he finds a job sleeping on mattresses in a store window and he loves it. It's a witty, fun book and reminds me of Goldilocks and the Three Bears because each job isn't right, and once he finds the job for him it is just right.
November 2, 2021
This book had very detailed illustrations that could help a new reader with the wording. Its good for new readers to recognize the illustrations and connect it to the words so the new words they are learning have meaning to them. It also had repeat words that a child could start to recognize throughout the book to help them learn how to read these common words. This book is also kind of longer so a child could feel a sense of accomplishment when being able to read this whole book encouraging them to read more. Overall this is a very good book for new readers.
April 25, 2019
So much fun! This is a great story with great illustrations - and even a good life lesson about earning money and having responsibility. I laughed many times, and my student just LOVED the book. It's part of a series they started at school. I learned this morning that the author is the George & Martha author (books I loved when I was a kid and still think are great).
December 18, 2022
While showing off on his bike, Fox wrecks his bike. When he asks Mom for a new one, she suggests he get a job. Fox lands a job selling shoes, but insults his first customer. He gets fired! He then gets a job at an amusement park in a haunted house. The only problem is that Fox is too terrified to enter the house. Read the book and find the perfect job for the crafty Fox!
February 13, 2025
Tried for SAYL reading in 2025
Fox is acting up again and destroys his bike while showing off to the girls. His mom tells him he needs to get a job to pay for a new bike. He attempts work at a shoe store, an amusement park attraction, a pizza parlor, and a furniture store. He finally succeeds at the furniture store because he leans in to his abilities.
Fox is acting up again and destroys his bike while showing off to the girls. His mom tells him he needs to get a job to pay for a new bike. He attempts work at a shoe store, an amusement park attraction, a pizza parlor, and a furniture store. He finally succeeds at the furniture store because he leans in to his abilities.
January 1, 2019
While showing off for the girls, Fox wrecks his bicycle, and when he asks his mother for a new one she suggested that he get a job to buy himself a new one. After several failed attempts in the job market, Fox finally finds the perfect job for him to earn money for his new bike.
July 1, 2017
Not bad as an early chapter book.
March 17, 2018
Fox was never on the job for very long, but he sure was dedicated!
January 23, 2019
I like this Book because it has when fox delivered the pizza but it wasn’t pizza it was mice and Louis delivered the pizza to the doctor
June 20, 2024
This is just hilarious.
February 22, 2025
Fox looks for a job to earn money to replace his broken bike. He tries several that don't fit him but he finds the perfect one. A cute easy reader series.
November 17, 2025
I actually laughed! very cute and clever.
June 4, 2024
This one was HILARIOUS and had me laughing out loud. I want Fox’s job!
April 15, 2012
Fox on the Job by James Marshall is a children’s easy to read grade 3 picture book. The book is simple yet creative, and separates the book by chapters in order to increase the difficulty and break up of the book. The main plot of this short children’s book follows the day of young fox that must come up with a significant amount of money to pay for his broken bike. His mother informs him that he must obtain a job in order to pay for the bike that he broke. So, fox set off into town to find a job. He tried working at a shoe store, a pizza shop, a haunted house at a carnival, but those jobs just weren’t for him. He finally landed on a great job at a furniture store simply sleeping in the store window displaying a brand new mattress.
The book is a simple and easy read, but contains a plot and character development that will keep young kids, around reading level 3, interested and intrigued in the story. This book would be great for younger students who have a more advanced reading level because it has an interesting plot and great illustrations. The illustrations throughout were colorful and unique, adding greatly to the detail and overall understanding of the story. This book would be great for level three readers, and would be a good book to teach a lesson on responsibility. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and thought that it was a great pick for an easy reader choice.
The book is a simple and easy read, but contains a plot and character development that will keep young kids, around reading level 3, interested and intrigued in the story. This book would be great for younger students who have a more advanced reading level because it has an interesting plot and great illustrations. The illustrations throughout were colorful and unique, adding greatly to the detail and overall understanding of the story. This book would be great for level three readers, and would be a good book to teach a lesson on responsibility. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and thought that it was a great pick for an easy reader choice.
March 7, 2013
Fox on the Job by James Marshall is a good children's book. Its got humor that a child would enjoy. Its about Fox who wrecks his bike showing off in front of some girls. He wants a new bike and asks his mom and sister for money but they both said no. His mom told him to get a job. Fox goes in search of a job.First Fox gets a job at a shoe store but gets fired because he told a lady she had big feet. Next Fox gets a job at a Haunted House selling tickets. He quits because he felt that that kind of haunted house shouldn't be for kids. Then, he tries to work at a pizza parlor. While taking a pizza to Mrs. O'Hara he runs into his sister who is carrying mice to the vet. He quickly gets up and dashes to Mrs. O'Hara's house. He didn't know however that he gave Mrs. O'Hara the box full of mice. He gets fired from that job. Finally he comes across this furniture store and has a bright idea. The owner couldn't hire Fox but he told the owner his bright idea. His bright idea was to lay in the bed and get people to think its comfortable. Everyone said they wanted the same bed. Fox was fast asleep dreaming of his new bike. The illustrations really support the story and are colorful. An overall good read for children.
February 27, 2012
This about how fox wrecked his bike and tried to find a job. He tries to work at a shoe store, amusment park, and pizza parlor but something always happens that cause him to be fired. He finally finds a job at a furniture store as a model who slepted in one of the beds. He finally found a job he could handle, sleeping in a bed.
This book would be good for first or second graders who can read on their own. It is a intersesting story that has many short chapters or episodes that would make it easy for those with short attention spands to read.
The illustrations look like they a mixture of watercolor and pencil. They would be helpful to the reader if they did not quite understand what they just read. They also provide a break for the eyes with color. They also could be a distraction from the reading because of their bright colors.
This book would be good for first or second graders who can read on their own. It is a intersesting story that has many short chapters or episodes that would make it easy for those with short attention spands to read.
The illustrations look like they a mixture of watercolor and pencil. They would be helpful to the reader if they did not quite understand what they just read. They also provide a break for the eyes with color. They also could be a distraction from the reading because of their bright colors.
May 6, 2014
I thought this book was a good children’s book. I loved how this book had good humor to the point a child would understand and enjoy. This book shows responsibility with having a job and working for what you own. Towards the end of the book the Fox told the owner of the furniture store that he thought the best way to sell the mattress was if he was fast asleep on it to show how comfortable it is. I felt that the color and the illustrations really brought the book to life. It also supported the story and gives readers more interest into reading the book. I would recommend this book for young readers.
October 23, 2014
I thought this book was a good children’s book. I loved how this book had good humor to the point a child would understand and enjoy. This book shows responsibility with having a job and working for what you own. Towards the end of the book the Fox told the owner of the furniture store that he thought the best way to sell the mattress was if he was fast asleep on it to show how comfortable it is. I felt that the color and the illustrations really brought the book to life. It also supported the story and gives readers more interest into reading the book. I would recommend this book for young readers.
Read
March 27, 2013Fox on the Job, written by James Marshall, is a great easy to read chapter book for a third grader. The book follows a young fox for the day as he tries to come up with a lot of money for his broken bike. He tries working at a shoe store, pizza shop, and haunted house, but those jobs didn't go over well. Finally, he finds the job of lying in a furniture store window, and that job works a lot better for him. This book is very easy to read yet the plot contains a lot of character development. The colorful illustrations add to the overall understanding of the story.
March 26, 2015
If I were a beginning reader, I believe I would have enjoyed Marshall's story, Fox on the Job, along with the illustrations. It's humorous, easy to follow, and teaches a variety of lessons. When Fox, the main character in this story, breaks his bike, his mom tells him he needs to get a job to pay for a new one. He tries working at a shoe store, an amusement park, a pizza restaurant... Then he finds a job he loves: testing beds! A must read for young readers or to teach responsibility and possibly hard work!
February 6, 2017
I usually don't read these books, but this one caught my eye. That little fox on the cover grabbed me. He's quite clever and adorable. Kids will love this little chapter book. lol funny. It makes me want to write a BR.
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December 19, 2009Simple plot, simple sentences, great graphics. This is a good beginning reader for 1st and 2nd grade readers. I like that the story also has a message about responsiblity. It is basically a new fable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews