The Fox Maiden

by Elsa Marston, Tatsuro Kiuchi (Illustrator)

A young fox, thinking that the world of humans must be better than life in the forest, uses the magic of the mountain foxes to change into human form. As Yuri, a beautiful maiden, she finds work in the home of the richest man in the village--and the love of Haruo, his manservant. She was warned that the magic sometimes betrays, and when it fails she puts her life, and Haruo's, in jeopardy. Full color.

Genres: Picture Books, Asia, Animals, Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Japan, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1996

About the author

Elsa Harik, known professionally as Elsa Marston, is an American author of children's books about the Middle East and North Africa. She died after completing her last book, "I Just Kept Walking."

Reviews

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice little story which manages to do a Japanese theme and setting well, though not written by a Japanese author. For me, the most important part of this is that it has a not quite happy ending. It seems to me like most Japanese folktales have unhappy, or at least troubled endings, and stories with foxes almost seem to lean towards tragedy. So it feels more true to sort to end the story without a simple, generic happy ending. At the same time, it is definitely a modern composition, and one with a slightly different set of concerns and assumptions than you might find in similar traditional story from Japan.

[H. Givens · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is nothing special, but the storytelling is great.

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

hmmm