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Little Fox in the Forest
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Picture Books (2017)A wordless picture book in which two friends follow a young fox deep into the woods and discover a wondrous and magical world.
When a young girl brings her beloved stuffed fox to the playground, much to her astonishment, a real fox takes off with it! The girl chases the fox into the woods with her friend, the boy, following close behind, but soon the two children lose track of the fox. Wandering deeper and deeper into the forest, they come across a tall hedge with an archway. What do they find on the other side? A marvelous village of miniature stone cottages, tiny treehouses, and, most extraordinary of all, woodland creatures of every shape and size. But where is the little fox? And how will they find him?
When a young girl brings her beloved stuffed fox to the playground, much to her astonishment, a real fox takes off with it! The girl chases the fox into the woods with her friend, the boy, following close behind, but soon the two children lose track of the fox. Wandering deeper and deeper into the forest, they come across a tall hedge with an archway. What do they find on the other side? A marvelous village of miniature stone cottages, tiny treehouses, and, most extraordinary of all, woodland creatures of every shape and size. But where is the little fox? And how will they find him?
40 pages, Hardcover
First published February 28, 2017
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2658 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 429 reviews
June 26, 2019
oooh, goodreads choice awards semifinalist for best picture book! what will happen?
AAAAAHHHH this book is too damn adorable! many thanks to erica for bringing it to my attention.
this little girl is about to learn a lesson about what happens when you take your eyes off your treasured possessions when there’s a fox lurking nearby:
but can you blame him?? it looks just like him, a ready-made friend! and he already has so many adventures planned for the two of them!
plus, you cannot say ‘no’ to this sad little foxen face.
although this girl certainly tries. she and her friend go in pursuit of the fox in a beautifully-illustrated, wordless chase through the forest, where the blah-colored human world slowly gets infiltrated by colorful accents as members of the animal-world peek out at the children,
(apparently “snitches get stitches” is not a maxim of the animal kingdom)
until we reach the full-color glory of where all the wild things are:
eventually, the children find the fox-bandit and his ill-gotten toy. but again - no heart can stand seeing such cute made so sad.
i’m certainly not thoughtless enough to ROON the ending of a children’s picture book, but greg had some discomfort with the ending (cuz i made him read this, too) that must be addressed, so come with me to spoilertown:
i just realized i still have to review the read-long-ago and similarly-titled In Fox's Forest. oops. will i ever get caught up on anything?
i need a unicorn.
come to my blog!
AAAAAHHHH this book is too damn adorable! many thanks to erica for bringing it to my attention.
this little girl is about to learn a lesson about what happens when you take your eyes off your treasured possessions when there’s a fox lurking nearby:
but can you blame him?? it looks just like him, a ready-made friend! and he already has so many adventures planned for the two of them!
plus, you cannot say ‘no’ to this sad little foxen face.
although this girl certainly tries. she and her friend go in pursuit of the fox in a beautifully-illustrated, wordless chase through the forest, where the blah-colored human world slowly gets infiltrated by colorful accents as members of the animal-world peek out at the children,
(apparently “snitches get stitches” is not a maxim of the animal kingdom)
until we reach the full-color glory of where all the wild things are:
eventually, the children find the fox-bandit and his ill-gotten toy. but again - no heart can stand seeing such cute made so sad.
i’m certainly not thoughtless enough to ROON the ending of a children’s picture book, but greg had some discomfort with the ending (cuz i made him read this, too) that must be addressed, so come with me to spoilertown:
i just realized i still have to review the read-long-ago and similarly-titled In Fox's Forest. oops. will i ever get caught up on anything?
i need a unicorn.
come to my blog!
March 8, 2017
The cute! It hurts!
So here's an adorable story without words in which a young girl brings her beloved stuffed animal, a fox wearing a striped turtleneck, to school for show-and-tell. After school, she goes to the playground and her fox gets Swipered!
She runs off to reclaim her beloved friend and is soon joined by her best human friend. The two embark upon a colorful adventure and cuteness abounds.
In this story, the real world is monochromatic, all shades of blue. The animal world is all color.
I'm sure that means something but I'm not smart enough to figure it out.
However, here's what I did notice: If you're looking for a book about the importance of representation but need to showcase your message with a gentle touch, this is what you've been seeking because here's the thing: not only is the little girl not white, but the imagery of the fox who has stolen the stuffed fox that looks just like him is meaningful, though subtle. This little fox in his yellow stripey turtleneck is so happy to have found his representation that he takes it for his own. That's pretty powerful, if you look at it in just the right light. No, not the thievery light - though, as you might imagine, this story rang true to me what with my own history of foxen who steal toys - but the claiming one's image light.
But that's not the message being shared, here; it's just background and only if you want to see it. The point of this story is compassion, sharing, and understanding and it's delivered in such a sweet way that even I didn't roll my eyes.
Also in the background are many little treats. The illustrations are full of surprises, the kinds of things you only notice after looking at the pictures over and over again. It's awfully fun.
So here's an adorable story without words in which a young girl brings her beloved stuffed animal, a fox wearing a striped turtleneck, to school for show-and-tell. After school, she goes to the playground and her fox gets Swipered!
She runs off to reclaim her beloved friend and is soon joined by her best human friend. The two embark upon a colorful adventure and cuteness abounds.
In this story, the real world is monochromatic, all shades of blue. The animal world is all color.
I'm sure that means something but I'm not smart enough to figure it out.
However, here's what I did notice: If you're looking for a book about the importance of representation but need to showcase your message with a gentle touch, this is what you've been seeking because here's the thing: not only is the little girl not white, but the imagery of the fox who has stolen the stuffed fox that looks just like him is meaningful, though subtle. This little fox in his yellow stripey turtleneck is so happy to have found his representation that he takes it for his own. That's pretty powerful, if you look at it in just the right light. No, not the thievery light - though, as you might imagine, this story rang true to me what with my own history of foxen who steal toys - but the claiming one's image light.
But that's not the message being shared, here; it's just background and only if you want to see it. The point of this story is compassion, sharing, and understanding and it's delivered in such a sweet way that even I didn't roll my eyes.
Also in the background are many little treats. The illustrations are full of surprises, the kinds of things you only notice after looking at the pictures over and over again. It's awfully fun.
November 26, 2017
This was my personal vote for Goodreads Picture book for 2017, though there were four or five I (and my family) loved, including The Book of Mistakes, A Different Pond (no longer in the running, but this was my actual favorite) and Over and Under the Pond.
Each year my family reads all the Goodreads-award-nominated picture books, and we have been doing this for years. Everyone rates each book and adds a comment and it may (or may not) affect my overall rating. This is book #18 of 2017.
Tara: 5 stars. Very sweet. Bright colors to draw attention to things. Not sure about the ending, though
(see below).
Harry (12): 5 stars. Loved the art. Her favorite stuffed animal--treasured--was stolen.
Hank (11). 3 stars. I like how the girl was nice enough to (finally) give her favorite toy away [after it had been stolen by people who really needed it more than the girl did].
Jenn (adult family friend): 5 stars. So smart!! Sweet story, sweet artwork.
Dave: 5 stars. A great wordless picture book! A girl with a toy fox finds a real fox the woods, who seems curious, interested in the fox. She has her toy fox stolen by the real fox! A boy joins the search, and other animals, a weasel tries to steal it, too. The boy and the girl find a remote animal village (with a moose grocer, raccoon families, fox families. . .), and sure enough, they find the toy fox in the real fox's home. And the girl decides the real fox family and real fox actually needs it more than she does. Wonder and imagination and great artwork. About the necessity of imaginary companions, and real ones, about sharing your most prized possession with others, about real friendship!
Each year my family reads all the Goodreads-award-nominated picture books, and we have been doing this for years. Everyone rates each book and adds a comment and it may (or may not) affect my overall rating. This is book #18 of 2017.
Tara: 5 stars. Very sweet. Bright colors to draw attention to things. Not sure about the ending, though
(see below).
Harry (12): 5 stars. Loved the art. Her favorite stuffed animal--treasured--was stolen.
Hank (11). 3 stars. I like how the girl was nice enough to (finally) give her favorite toy away [after it had been stolen by people who really needed it more than the girl did].
Jenn (adult family friend): 5 stars. So smart!! Sweet story, sweet artwork.
Dave: 5 stars. A great wordless picture book! A girl with a toy fox finds a real fox the woods, who seems curious, interested in the fox. She has her toy fox stolen by the real fox! A boy joins the search, and other animals, a weasel tries to steal it, too. The boy and the girl find a remote animal village (with a moose grocer, raccoon families, fox families. . .), and sure enough, they find the toy fox in the real fox's home. And the girl decides the real fox family and real fox actually needs it more than she does. Wonder and imagination and great artwork. About the necessity of imaginary companions, and real ones, about sharing your most prized possession with others, about real friendship!
April 2, 2019
4.5 stars for a very cute story told without words of a little girl who's favourite fox teddy gets stolen whilst she plays next to some woods by a young fox. Going deeper into the woods she follows the thief which leads her to a sylvanian style world of little animal families in clothes going about their daily life in their pretty tree trunk houses.
Lovely book for children to read to themselves, lots to look at, very cosy and comforting. We didn't agree with the little girls decision at the end of the story. Several much loved stuffed toys in the room gasped and looked away in disgust.
Lovely book for children to read to themselves, lots to look at, very cosy and comforting. We didn't agree with the little girls decision at the end of the story. Several much loved stuffed toys in the room gasped and looked away in disgust.
April 9, 2017
I loved this no text book about a young girl who loses her favorite stuffed animal to a fox who happens to steals it.
February 28, 2017
In this wordless graphic novel, a little girl brings her stuffed toy fox to school for show-and-tell and it is taken from the playground by a real fox! The girl and her friend chase after the fox, stopping to ask directions when they find a small door in a tree. The squirrel who lives there points them in the right direction. Meanwhile, a weasel tries to steal the toy from the little fox, but a bear steps in and sorts it out. The children arrive at a town where animals live together and they enlist the help of the entire area to search for the fox. Soon they discover the little fox and his stolen toy, but what will they do then?
Graegin tells a really wonderful story solely through images. Using white space to frame her images into a graphic novel format, the story is told with rich details. It clearly establishes the little girl’s long attachment to the stuffed fox and her desire to share it with her class. Then the story becomes a chase sequence and a mystery of where the fox has gone. It then enters a lovely fantasy where the entire animal town comes to life, shown in a wide panorama that makes one want to wander the streets.
One special device used through the book is that the children are shown in black, grays and whites. The color enters the book subtly at first with the little fox and a red bird who watches from above. The children maintain their more somber color palette even as the world around them is vibrant color. Yet these worlds can touch and cross, much to the joy of the reader.
This genre bending graphic-novel picture book is beautiful, rich and worthy of journeying through time and again. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Graegin tells a really wonderful story solely through images. Using white space to frame her images into a graphic novel format, the story is told with rich details. It clearly establishes the little girl’s long attachment to the stuffed fox and her desire to share it with her class. Then the story becomes a chase sequence and a mystery of where the fox has gone. It then enters a lovely fantasy where the entire animal town comes to life, shown in a wide panorama that makes one want to wander the streets.
One special device used through the book is that the children are shown in black, grays and whites. The color enters the book subtly at first with the little fox and a red bird who watches from above. The children maintain their more somber color palette even as the world around them is vibrant color. Yet these worlds can touch and cross, much to the joy of the reader.
This genre bending graphic-novel picture book is beautiful, rich and worthy of journeying through time and again. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
March 3, 2017
A picture book about two friends on the hunt for the girl's missing stuffed fox. Following the culprit leads them into a charming forest village.
I didn't really like the resolution. And I couldn't help but think about The Golden Girl's episode where Rose's stuffed animal gets accidentally donated.
I didn't really like the resolution. And I couldn't help but think about The Golden Girl's episode where Rose's stuffed animal gets accidentally donated.
March 6, 2017
Wonderful wordless picture book that celebrates friendship, imagination and a child's love of her stuffed animal. Perfect pacing, with excellent use of panels to move action along. Perfect gift along with a Calico Critters family. My full review: Great Kid Books
March 20, 2017
Extremely endearing picture book about a child fox who finds a little girl's stuffed toy fox. It immediately becomes his inseparable toy. The little girl searches all over and asks the woodland animals if any of them have seen it. Kindness and love prevail when the girl sees how much the little fox loves her toy. Yeah! Children will love this expertly illustrated, sweet book!
August 25, 2019
Sometimes stories go down pathways I just cannot follow. For this book I just could not suspend disbelief for its fantasy world or buy into the injustice of the moral.
February 5, 2017
Charming illustrations
March 1, 2017
I am completely in love with this book. Gorgeous, timeless, heart warming, touching. This is a book I'll reread over and over.
February 11, 2017
Illustrations created with pencil, watercolor and ink and then assembled and colored digitally tell a story filled with magic, love, friendship, and unexpected acts of kindness. A girl brings her cherished stuffed fox to school for show and tell, but a real fox swipes it while she is playing outdoors. She and her friend follow the fox, determined to get it back. As they race through the forest, they discover a magical land filled with animals wearing hats and clothing and living in small houses. When they gather all the animals together in a central meeting place to show what they're looking for, a bear realizes just where he's seen the stuffed fox. Although the two friends find the stuffed animal and the little fox reluctantly agrees to part with it, the girl can tell how much he loves it, and decides to let him keep it. The little fox gives her something in return, and everyone is happy. The lack of words does not cause problems in understanding the story since each illustration speaks volumes. I especially liked the images that showed animals hiding behind trees or a bird flying nearby or, near the end, perched right outside the girl's bedroom window. This one is perfect for sharing with young readers and helping them look closely at the images in order to understand what's happening.
February 16, 2017
the nicest sort of wordless picture book, where the magic of the story comes through vividly and beautifully and you want to turn the pages back the other way once you finished to find the details you missed the first time through, when focused on what happens to the little girl's fox-napped stuffed fox!
March 30, 2017
This is strictly a picture book. The entire story is told without words. The detail in the pictures makes this such a special little story.
A little girl takes her beloved stuffed fox to school for Show and Tell. Afterwards, she goes to play on the swing set. A little passer-by sees her little fox and scampers off with it! She chases down the culprit, but loses him in the forest. The whole adventure is beautifully illustrated with cute little touches throughout (keep your eyes peeled for the little red bird on each page).
Highly recommended!
A little girl takes her beloved stuffed fox to school for Show and Tell. Afterwards, she goes to play on the swing set. A little passer-by sees her little fox and scampers off with it! She chases down the culprit, but loses him in the forest. The whole adventure is beautifully illustrated with cute little touches throughout (keep your eyes peeled for the little red bird on each page).
Highly recommended!
March 30, 2017
A story told in pictures. This is the story of a girl that has a beloved stuffed animal. On the day she takes it to show and tell, it gets taken. She and her friend venture into the forest to find the fox that took her stuffed animal. They stumble into a world of wonder.
My five year old like looking at each panel and noticing all of the detail. It is truly remarkable. A lovely story told with timeless art work.
My five year old like looking at each panel and noticing all of the detail. It is truly remarkable. A lovely story told with timeless art work.
March 2, 2017
A lovely, delightful wordless picture book story with a fabulous message and illustrations you'll want to pore over to discover new details. A must-read & must-share.
September 11, 2019
When the teacher tells her class that they will have show-and-tell the next day, the young heroine of this wordless picture-book rushes home and prepares her beloved stuffed fox for a day out. What the little girl doesn't expect is that this treasured toy will be stolen from her bag by a real fox, while she plays on the swings after school. Setting off in pursuit of the vulpine interloper, the girl is in turn followed by her best friend. Eventually the two children find their way to the colorful land of animals, where they track down the thieving fox. But will the girl keep the stuffed animal, in the face of a real animal's distress...?
Little Fox In the Forest marks illustrator Stephanie Graegin's authorial debut - if a wordless picture-book can be said to be 'authored' - and has been compared to Aaron Becker's wordless picture-book adventure trilogy ( Journey , Quest , and Return ). For my part, I was strongly reminded of a recent Japanese picture-book that I picked up, Kimiko Aman's The Fox Wish , which also addressed the theme of a little girl who surrenders her plaything to the eager young fox who has appropriated it. It's unfortunate that I encountered Graegin's book so soon after Aman's, as I think I would have appreciated it more if I didn't have the outstanding The Fox Wish in mind, as I turned the pages. That said, there was much here to enjoy, from the beautiful and skillfully-done artwork - I liked that the human world was depicted in muted shades of blue, while the animal world was shown in vivid, earthy tones - to the sweet and heartwarming conclusion of the tale, in which the girl exchanges toys with the fox. Recommended to anyone looking for wordless picture-books, or who enjoys magical-realist stories about children, toys, and foxes.
Little Fox In the Forest marks illustrator Stephanie Graegin's authorial debut - if a wordless picture-book can be said to be 'authored' - and has been compared to Aaron Becker's wordless picture-book adventure trilogy ( Journey , Quest , and Return ). For my part, I was strongly reminded of a recent Japanese picture-book that I picked up, Kimiko Aman's The Fox Wish , which also addressed the theme of a little girl who surrenders her plaything to the eager young fox who has appropriated it. It's unfortunate that I encountered Graegin's book so soon after Aman's, as I think I would have appreciated it more if I didn't have the outstanding The Fox Wish in mind, as I turned the pages. That said, there was much here to enjoy, from the beautiful and skillfully-done artwork - I liked that the human world was depicted in muted shades of blue, while the animal world was shown in vivid, earthy tones - to the sweet and heartwarming conclusion of the tale, in which the girl exchanges toys with the fox. Recommended to anyone looking for wordless picture-books, or who enjoys magical-realist stories about children, toys, and foxes.
May 30, 2017
A wordless picture book about compromise and finding peace with your animal neighbors beautifully illustrated. Exceptionally end papers and spectacular yellow boards with a loveable drawing of a Fox. Remarkably the Dust Jacket has a different image of the Forest that tells more of the story. The picture story goes that A Fox steals a toy fox left on the playground and despite a brief interlude where the Bear thinks it belongs to the Weasel who had briefly acquired it from the Fox, and then figures it out and gives it back to the Girl, it’s about becoming friends. The girl gives a Fox her favorite toy, because the Fox has come to love it also, and in return the Fox gives his plush toy unicorn to the girl. (I always railed at the word “stuffed”) This large format 10” x 11 ½” picture book takes on topic friendship in a new way.
October 15, 2019
A lovely wordless picture book which follows a young girl losing her treasured stuffed fox after taking it to school for show tell and going on a hunt to find it again.
August 7, 2020
Omg this was so cute!
March 26, 2017
Such a beautiful wordless picture book!
Read
April 26, 2017So sweet! Although I feel little sorry for the unicorn...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2017
Graegin, Stephanie Little Fox in the Forest. PICTURE BOOK. Schwartz & Wade Books, 2017. $17.99
A young girl brings her favorite stuffed fox to school for Show & Tell. Later, at the playground, she is shocked when a real fox appears and takes off with her beloved toy! As the girl and a friend chase after the fox, they embark on a grand adventure into a magical animal world they never knew existed. The fox is eventually found--and a new friend is made!
I am 100% in love with this wonderful picture book without words. The story is told through panels of pictures in a wonderful whimsical style and done so well that text is not really needed. This would be a great book for a home or classroom library, and could lead to some great writing prompts and discussions. The lack of text makes it a tough choice for the youngest book lovers who might need help following the story, but older children will love it.
EL (K-3), EL--ESSENTIAL. Reviewer: TC
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...
A young girl brings her favorite stuffed fox to school for Show & Tell. Later, at the playground, she is shocked when a real fox appears and takes off with her beloved toy! As the girl and a friend chase after the fox, they embark on a grand adventure into a magical animal world they never knew existed. The fox is eventually found--and a new friend is made!
I am 100% in love with this wonderful picture book without words. The story is told through panels of pictures in a wonderful whimsical style and done so well that text is not really needed. This would be a great book for a home or classroom library, and could lead to some great writing prompts and discussions. The lack of text makes it a tough choice for the youngest book lovers who might need help following the story, but older children will love it.
EL (K-3), EL--ESSENTIAL. Reviewer: TC
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...
November 25, 2017
This is a fantastic magical wordless picture book for youngsters. The only words in this story appear on the chalkboard, school or a box. The story, told in picture boxes in shades of blue and white only, are of a young girl bringing her favorite stuffed animal, a fox, for show and tell. After school, she stops at the playground to swing and places her backpack on the ground. A colorful orange fox in a yellow sweater sneakily steals the stuffed fox away. The little girl and her friend set out through this blue and white shaded background in search of her beloved stuffed animal and slowly come upon more colorful creatures and trees until at last they arrive at this very colorful animal city which its own stores, restaurants and homes. At last they find the home of the young fox who took her blue stuffed fox. He is reluctant to return it and offers a purple unicorn instead. That night the little girl is asleep with this wonderfully colored purple unicorn from the fox’s brilliant world and the fox is tucking in his blue fox from her world. Imaginative, lovely and highly recommended!
April 4, 2017
Could this be the next Caldecott winner? Detailed illustrations tell the story of a young girl who brings her stuffed fox to school for show-and-tell and stops at the park to play after school. A little fox who sees the stuffed fox in her schoolbag snatches it and runs into the woods. The girl runs after the fox. Her friend follows them both. And the two children get lost deep in the forest tracking down the fox. The colors move from blue/gray to full color and back again as the children move deeper into the woods and back home again. Readers can find lots of imaginative details on every page.
May 28, 2018
This is a wordless children’s book. A little girl has to bring in something for show and tell at school. She decides to bring one of her cherished items, a stuffed fox. While she is playing in the park, a live fox sneaks off with her stuffed fox. She chases him into the forest, and this story tells of her adventures in trying to find the fox and reclaim her stuffed toy.
November 23, 2017
I don't remember 'reading' any wordless pictures books as a child, but I sure enjoy them now. There's so much on so few pages in this warm, eventful story that I'm looking forward to hearing my youngest nephew thoughts when we read it together.
September 23, 2016
What a delightful wordless adventure. Love Graegin's illustrations.
March 13, 2018
Can I just live in the forest town please?
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