Fox

by Margaret Wild, Ron Brooks (Illustrator)

An injured magpie and a one-eyed dog live happily together in the forest, until a duplicitous fox arrives and upsets their harmony. Turtleback binding is a highly durable alternative to a hardcover or paperback book. The comprehensive cover reinforcement process will drastically combat wear and tear, keeping your favorite books in great condition for years to come! Turtleback books are ideal for any reader, or for use in schools or libraries.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Friendship, Fantasy, Dark

32 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Margaret Wild is one of Australia's most highly respected picture-book creators whose award-winning children's books are loved by children all over the world. Margaret has published over seventy picture books for young children and she has been the recipient of the Nan Chauncy Award and the Lady Cutler Award for her contributions to Australian children's literature.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

(although dana and greg read it with me on the subway yesterday, so i know they have been tainted, too). the description above is what is printed on the book, which is scary enough:

An injured magpie and a one-eyed dog live happily together in the forest, until a jealous fox arrives to teach them what it means to be alone.

but i think what they really wanted to write is "help o help this lady is threatening us and if we don't publish her crazy-assed book she is going to remove the toes of our children - call the police!!" i used to work in publishing and even though it was an academic press, we would still get the occasional scrawled-in-crayon manuscripts that i had to read and ultimately reject, and i was afraid one of those authors would find me and stab me with a burnt sienna. i cant even imagine what this book looked like when it was submitted. the end product is a fantastically dark story that no child should have read to it unless you are conducting sleep-deprivation experiments. it is written in serial-killer scrawl, with the words all over the page at wonky angles, the drawings are hectic and scratchy and terrifying and of course i give it five stars because i absolutely loved it. but is clearly the work of a diseased mind. (i just noticed this is an australian book. i understand it now. this is the kind of children's story nick cave was raised on. this book is exactly how to make a nick cave. and now i have come around - go read this to your kids; make more little dour nick caves for me)

p.s. - it turns out there was a goodreads.com glitch - i was in no way the first person to rate this - now i feel like a fool.

come to my blog!

[Mischenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

To see this review and to learn more about Margaret Wild please visit www.readrantrockandroll.com

Fox by Margaret Wild is a story about a dog and a bird with disabilities. They become friends and help each other until a jealous fox enters the story to teach them a lesson about what it's truly like to be alone.

This is a story about friendship and betrayal. It's quite dark and is best suited for older children that can cope with the abrupt ending and powerful message.

It's thought-provoking and a good discussion book for groups.

Update: After the first time reading this I rated it 3 stars because I didn't really like the abrupt ending, but it sends an important message that doesn't take children long to figure out. Another aspect that I had a hard time with was the story's text which is sketched and scattered all around the pages and difficult for kids to read at times. I loved the sketched illustrations by Ron Brooks.

My personal opinion is that this is a book that's best read to children by a teacher or parent which eliminates the issue with the text and allows discussion after.

4***

[s · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this in order to help my little sister figure out the theme of this book and I'm SO glad I read it.

Such a beautiful little book about a friendship between Dog and Magpie and how they help each other and rely on each other because of their disabilities.

Also, that plot twist was so freaking good and I love love loved that ending. It was also extremely short (took me legit 5 minutes) and can help your reading challenge!

What a dark little book with a deep meaning.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the best children's book ever, but maybe it's not appropiate for most children. It's bleak and dark, sociopathic in it's layout, the moral of the story is not like anything one would expect in a book for kids. It's what a crazed lunatic all bent out of shape by existentialism might have written. Or maybe something that Beckett would have penned if he had decided that he wanted to scar children with his writings. I don't know what to say but I am in awe of this book. Everyone should read this.

On a slight aside, I just had an idea for a children's picture book based roughly around a Beckett novel. A child (or an animal of some kind, maybe a dolphin) is left hopefully immobilized laying in a big mound of pig shit, and he thinks back about how everyone he loved really didn't care for him, and how he has been left here to die alone in shit, unable to make it to the water (if it's a dolphin) only a few feet away from him. Caldecott here I come once again!!

[Karen Witzler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children's Picture Book? Beautiful artwork and careful evocative prose for this animal fable about friendship, mutual need, and the dangers of infidelity to such a bond. The words are rendered on the page in a psychotic script that sets the stage for the Fox to disrupt the loving accommodation that the half-blind dog and the one-winged magpie have made with a post-apocalyptic forest.

It has a bad ending.... Good companion piece to The Fox by D.H. Lawrence if that gives you some idea.

Seriously, DO NOT read this to children without reading it through yourself and planning responses to possible reactions. Since some of those reactions may be internal and unseen, I wouldn't, ever.

Still, a gorgeous and memorable picture book.

[معصومه توکلی · Rating 4 out of 5]

این معرفی👇را اسفند نودوهشت در یک گروه کتابخوانی گذاشته بودم و فکر کردم همین‌جا کپی‌اش کنم. (گامی در جادهٔ مقابله با وسواس!)
ضمناً این فایده را دارد که می‌توانیم دور هم گریه کنیم. چون در عرض سی ماه قیمتش هشت برابر شده است!

کتاب ارزشمندی از مجموعهٔ #روزی_روزگاری_روباهی (پنج کتاب که شخصیت اول همه‌شان یک روباه است ولی جز این، هیچ ارتباطی با یکدیگر ندارند)
با ترجمهٔ خوب #رضی_هیرمندی
از نشر #پرنده_آبی (واحد کودک و نوجوان انتشارات علمی فرهنگی)
با قیمت فوق‌العادهٔ 6500 تومان!
(اشک در چشمان وی حلقه می‌زند)

کتابی با ظاهر کودکانه که به زعم بنده برای کودک زیر ده سال نامناسب است. چه در متن و چه در تصویر برای زیر ده سال و ای بسا زیر دوازده سال زیاده تلخ و واقع‌گرا ست.
کلاغ بالش در حریق سوخته. سگ هم یک چشمش را در همان آتش‌سوزی یا یک آتش‌سوزی دیگر، باخته. این دو با هم دوست می‌شوند. کلاغ چشم سگ و سگ بال کلاغ می‌شوند. دوستی‌ای که زندگی را برای هر دو زیستنی می‌کند. تا روزی که روباه از راه می‌رسد...
مضمون اصلی کتاب "حسادت" است و صیانت از رفاقت. پاسداری از دوستی و نفروختنش به مفت یا گران.
تصاویر کتاب از همان لحظهٔ اول که سگ کلاغ بال‌سوخته را به دندان گرفته و در حال گریز از مهلکهٔ آتش است با مضمون و حال و هوای داستان همراهند. گرم و تلخ و دودآلود...
کتاب را #مارگارت_وایلد نویسندهٔ استرالیایی نوشته (می‌توانید کودک یا نوجوانِ خواننده را به این نکته توجه دهید. جنگل‌های کدام نقطه از جهان سالانه و بیش از هر جا گرفتار حریق می‌شوند؟ سوختن جنگل‌ها چه بر سر جانورانِ ساکن در آن‌ها می آورد؟ و از این قبیل...)
برای خواندن و فکر کردن و دوباره فکر کردن!
#معرفی_کتاب
#ده_سال_به_بالا

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب عالی بود. برا تعریفش توضیح خودش رو میارم:

An injured magpie and a one-eyed dog live happily together in the forest, until a jealous fox arrives to teach them what it means to be alone.

+ اینکه خود داستان هم یه مدل دست‌نویس نوشته بود و باید کتاب رو یه سری جاها میچرخوندی تا داستان رو بخونی هم جالب بود.
۲.۱۴۰۴

[Phoebe Ledster · Rating 5 out of 5]

The partnership between Margaret Wild's writing and Ron Brooks' illustrations is beyond mesmerising. Wild's beautiful words add such depth and mystery to the characters that I ended up feeling immense sympathy for the book's antagonist- the Fox. On the other hand, Brooks has a fascinating style that presents the loneliness, rage and bitterness in the Fox, the kind nature of the Dog and the desperation of the Magpie. This would be fantastic to explore with children, looking at the relationships between the characters, how the vocabulary has been used to convey raw emotions and focusing on one of the book's main themes: loneliness. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it! The book is described as being a rich story for both adults and children and it certainly is.

[Jonathan Peto · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters have names like Dog, Magpie and Fox. The story is simple and potent and should hit a nerve. I read it to a class of fourth graders and will reread it again. There is so much to contemplate. It is a great story for writing about fiction. Some reviewers loved it but questioned whether it was appropriate for children. Like life, it is!

[Rana Heshmati · Rating 4 out of 5]

واقعا حقیقت زندگی بود.. اما خیلی خیلی تلخ. خیلی ترسناک. بچه باید حداقل ۱۰ سالش باشه که این رو بخونه! گرچه به قیافه کتاب نمیاد :(

[Andrew Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK. I don't even have the words to describe the feelings this book made me feel.

Dog rescues Magpie, whose wing has been burned. She can never fly again, but Dog is determined to show her life can still be good. Steadfast, eternally loyal, Dog runs with Magpie and acts as her wings, while she acts as his missing eye. Magpie is almost able to forget her loss. Almost.

When Fox comes along with an offer too enticing to pass up, Magpie finds herself alone and far from her friend. She learns a painful and powerful lesson about loyalty, for her betrayal has cost herself and her dearest friend of each other.

The book ends suddenly, before you want it to end, on a melancholic note with a glimmer of hope. The art in this book, done in mixed media, is phenomenal. Every page is a work of art, with the words facing different directions on the page and the colors dark, bold, paint thickly applied.

I honestly gasped aloud at what Fox did at the end, and I felt so overwhelmed with emotion throughout the entire book. It seems simple, but it is not; it is wonderful, it is art, and it is heart-wrenching, with a powerful message about what it means to be a true friend.

[Melissa Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book about an one-eyed dog and his companion a flightless magpie. Together they are able to help each other to overcome their disabilities and live a happy life. Until one day, they meet a cunning fox, filled with jealousy and greed over their friendship, he does everything in his power to separate them to make them truly feel what it is like to be alone. I love the fascinating and colourful illustrations by Ron Brooks and the imaginative way of displaying the text through almost being lose pieces of handwritten text, it really gives you a sense of the chaos presented within the story. Would definitely recommend a read.

[Jena Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new favorite picture book! The illustrations are fantastic and the ambiguity in the text led my fifth grade class to have a fantastic discussion and they wrote furiously in their literature response journals. Love love love it.

[Elena Meneses · Rating 5 out of 5]

En tan poquitas páginas siento que sentí tanto con esta historia. El final me dejó algo similar a la pena, menos mal no leí este libro de chica y lo leí ahora.

[Fjóla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beware that this book may not be for everyone, and make sure to read it first before you show it to your sensitive child, but this is a book that is so emotionally charged that it left me speechless.

This simple wilderness story about the friendship between a magpie who can't fly and a one-eyed dog is powerful and touching. The full spread pictures, that are at times warm and at times stark, are edgy and bring out the atmosphere of the desert. The rawness of the pictures and the book design fit the crude story perfectly.

The story begins with a tender description of the dog and the bird's first encounter. The well meaning dog and the beaten bird develop a strong bond, so strong they're in fact one. Until fox comes along. You can tell he spells trouble "... with his haunted eyes and rich red coat. He flickers through the trees like a tongue of fire, and Magpie trembles." Yet, Dog, who always sees the good in everything, is welcoming. "He belongs nowhere," [Magpie] says. "he loves no one." But Dog says, "He's all right. Let him be." When fox first tries to come between them, Magpie says, "I will never leave Dog. I am his missing eye and he is my wings." Of course he eventually gives in to the deceptive fox's sweet talk. But then, the story takes a turn that I was not expecting, It's a master stroke! The fox doesn't really want the bird in itself, he's much more devious than that. The last three page spreads are filled with heartbreak, and while beautiful, these pages were tough on both me and my child.

Luckily, the story is open ended, which makes it bearable. My four year old opted for an optimistic ending, while the adult will know that the magpie doesn't really stand a chance. My son typically steers away from ugly things and thus, understandably, did not care to repeat the reading of the story. As for me however, the story dwells with me in a way where I can't get it out of my mind.

I rarely come across something so well crafted, as this story is. But then, on top of all this, while I was expecting simply a story about a fox, I couldn't help but picture the Dog as the embodiment of everything that's good in the world, while the Fox was the essence of evil. And then, we're the Magpie, I guess, wavering between being faithful to our engagements and falling for temptations. What a unique book!

[Anthony Eaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll say from the outset that 'Fox' is one of the most horrible stories I've ever read. It's up there with other books that have either moved me to tears, or come pretty close to it. The first time I read this picture book, I felt as though I'd been punched in the gut, such was the impact of the final pages, and this effect hasn't decreased with time. It still moves me, and I'd still describe it as one of the most powerful picture books ever written. (which is, I know, a very big call...)

It's a simple story - a fable, really - about a dog, a magpie, and a fox. Along the way it draws upon and flirts around the edges of colonialism, existentialism, and nihilism. If that sounds heavy, then it should; this is not a picture book to be read lightly, but one which demands careful thought and attention to the dark subtext. Wild's words and Ron Brooks' extraordinary illustrations create a space of ideas which challenges and exposes all sorts of questions as to the nature of friendship.

For all that, though, it's not a completely bleak story - there is hope, but it's hope well tempered with reality.

Not a comfortable read, but a very good example of the power of a picture book when the cohesion between words and images is perfect.

[Eleanor Toland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fox start off a straightforward, familiar fable about a friendship between two disabled animals, then swiftly turns into something much darker. Like Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tales, Fox is powerful because it's both emotionally devastating and perfectly morally true. It's a children's story with a moral, but Fox isn't remotely sappy or simplistic.

The artwork and lettering are striking, evoking the desolate, dangerous landscape of the Australian bush. The shimmering desert, the milky blind eye of a dingo, the fox's blazing coat and evil eyes, the ruined stump of the magpie's wing, are all drawn in a savage, primitivist style that perfectly compliments the story. The words are even hand-written, in a spidery, deliberately ugly scrawl.

Fox is a short picture book that nevertheless contains more beauty, tragedy and pathos than is commonly found in shelves of adult novels.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks have conspired to make "Fox" disturbing, strange, and thought provoking. The text, the pictures, the themes – there is no comfort in any of these. The cover warns you that danger is approaching - with the bright orange color, the sharp line drawings, and Fox’s profound yellow stare. Fox is as evil a character as I have ever seen in a children’s book – not evil born of greed or selfishness like Red Riding Hood’s wolf, but evil born of a desire to damage something precious, to cause desolation, to bring others to the place of emptiness and despair where Fox’s own heart lies. I am unsure if I would read this book to primary level students. I notice that it is a book selected for the writing trait of ideas, and I can imagine that, in a writing class of intermediate or junior high students, this book would generate endless ideas for discussion and writing.

[Ellie L · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Fox’ is quite an unsettling and unnerving read about the undoing of a companionship between a magpie and a dog, who join together to overcome their misfortunes. This is quite a cold story, which may be why I enjoyed it - I think it is necessary for children to be exposed to something outside of the realms of comfort. It is certainly not a straight forward story, with very complex characterisation which I think would be important to dissect with children, looking at motives and reasoning behind actions.
A very intriguing presentation of a picture book, with the illustrations having an almost parched, aging feel, which to me makes the story appear timeless and one that had maybe been passed down through families.

[Lyndsay Kirkham · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most profound books I’ve ever come across. The rawness of betrayal is startling to a point of physical discomfort. The messages about friendship, honesty and integrity are unmatched anywhere else in fiction. BUY THIS BOOK.

[Carrie Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dynamic book.

[Renée Paule · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and thought provoking book - very clever. My one issue is the awful way the text is displayed in the book, and at different angles too.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fox is a dark and disturbing exploration into disability and jealousy. The story features a dog and a bird who are both disabled, and a fox who comes between them. The book's writing sprawls across the pages at different angles causing the reader to have to shift the book and turn it around - portraying the uncomfortable nature of the story. The writing is in a jagged, scratching font and is accompanied with abstract, haunting illustrations. The disabled bird desires to fly and she rides the back of the dog as he runs, they become a co-dependent team and have a solid friendship, alone in the world apart from each other - "I will be your missing eye, and you will be my wings". This is scuppered when a "strange new creature", the fox, enters their world. The fox is described at having "haunted eyes" and embodies the emotions "rage, and envy and loneliness". The story ends ambiguously and could be left for the children to continue the story as a writing exercise, or discuss the emotions of the characters. This would be a good book to use for PSHE to discuss how sometimes cruelty forms from bitterness, and disloyalty and doom from depression. It would serve as good lesson to not trust strangers (trust your gut instinct) and to persevere in staying kind, to not become poisoned by jealousy.

[Beatrice Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an artistic book for a children's book. I don't see this that often. The text is actually done in a find of scribbled handwriting sometimes on the edges of the page running along it instead of proper. A book of chaos really but it's wonderful. The art seems all chalk I think and REALLY REALLY GOOD chalk. The injured magpie forms a wonderful bond with the old half-blind dog...and each help each other in life. And then the villainous fox comes upon them. And he is one of the most sinister villains I've seen in a book adult or child in a long time. And the drawings of him go with the creepy descriptions of the actions...how he is always watching the magpie and she is frightened....his sleek elegant tail fills the page and is punctuated by his dark red eyes....always watching. When it ends I want more. There are definite morals within but it never says them. It doesn't have to. And it reads stronger without a big lecture about it. We've all had times in our lives when we've been the dog or been the magpie. And that fox reminds us of what happens when we make those kinds of decisions. And afterward we must pay the consequences....and then still go on living....back to the long journey to the cave....

[BiblioBickie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book begins with a magpie between the jaws of a dog, but it turns out the dog does not eat her. Instead, Dog helps Magpie see that life is worth living even without the wing she has lost in a forest fire (Dog has only one eye). Dog is kind to Fox, but Magpie is uncomfortable with Fox around. Over the course of several days, during which the reader wonders whether Fox will eat Magpie while Dog is gone, Fox succeeds in seducing Magpie, and they disappear into the forest. Fox "flies" across the burned land into the middle of a scorching desolate desert. What happens at the end is even worse than what the reader most likely expects.

Most children will need someone to help process what is going on in this book. The unusual, jarring handwritten text at different orientations makes this a difficult read-aloud in addition to looking like deranged scrawl. Is it a threat? Warning? Story of hope? It is definitely NOT a bedtime story for little children. More appropriate for ages 9+

[Kirsty Pimm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fox by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks is a story of many factors.
Friendship, betrayal and jealousy all play their part in creating a story that evokes compassion from the reader.
The structure of the book will please a younger reader, who can take pleasure from the illustrations and irregularities in the way the text is presented.
Older readers can sympathise with each character that presents in the story, justifying the relationships between them.
The characters resonate with their real life counterparts, eliciting a response from the reader that is justified by real life experience.
The portrayal of the story in relation to the illustrations encompasses the reader, with the text type selected both intriguing yet sinister.
Overall, the story leaves you with a tenuously optimistic note, that will resonate long after the book has been shut.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather grim tale about how three individuals--a magpie, a dog, and a fox--handle adversity. You can either accept what is and make something positive out of it, or you can resist change and let it embitter you. It had an apocalyptic feel to it because it was set in a burned-out forest and, later, in the desert, with no signs of life. The text had an awkward feel, looking like it was printed by hand by someone not used to writing, or with a spare bit of charcoal or a burned end of a stick, which lent to the "end of the world" atmosphere. I found it a tad depressing, even with the positive note at the end. I wonder how children would react to it? I'm giving this 3 1/2 stars.

[Nicola Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is intriguing and unsettling at the same time. The whole book is unusually set out. The text is stark and a little beguiling, you have to turn the book to read the words. It isn’t clear the order of flow, this in itself lured you in. The story is raw and keeps you guessing to what will happen next. The codependency relationship between the magpie and dog is fragile, and the beguiling character of the fox is foreboding. There are no warm fluffy feelings with this story but there is a beauty to it and you do feel a great admiration for the author and illustrator . Fox is deep and dark and not a book I would choose for younger children.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting, but melancholy tale of three animals. It has a fable-like quality to it, almost like one of Aesop's famous tales. The hand-lettered narrative appears to be almost scratched into the pages, in various aspects and alignments. And the mixed media and collage illustrations are very rough and textured.

Overall, it's a dark, but entertaining story, one of trust and deception. I like that the ending is really neither happy nor sad. We enjoyed reading this story together.

[Adele · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a picture book, but it is not for children. The style of both the text and the illustrations is very dark and creepy. The story itself is bleak and depressing. I would summarize the theme of this story as "the struggle for love to survive in the face of evil resulting from damage done by a harsh and unfair world"