Monday, June 19, 2017

Nonfiction Monday: The secret life of the red fox by Laurence Pringle, illustrated by Kate Garchinsky

This stunning book explores the hidden life of foxes. In a white, fluffy landscape, the red fox is a glowing blur. The vixen's story starts in the winter, as she hunts for scarce food in a snow-covered landscape. Italicized words are explained in a glossary in the back. The quiet vixen drifts through the landscape, pounces on small rodents, and caches her extra food. As spring begins to green the landscape, the vixen finds a mate and together they protect their territory, feast on apples in the orchard, and escape from dogs. The land turns to greens and yellows in spring and summer and the vixen finds an abandoned animal burrow. She stays inside while her mate brings food and in a few weeks there are fuzzy fox cubs, learning to hunt with worms and beetles. Eventually, they too will grow up and find their own territories and mates.

There is further information about foxes, a glossary, and further reading. The lush paintings and rich language aren't a good fit for the average preschool storytime, but it would make a stunning read-aloud for older listeners or children who love learning about animals.

Verdict: This lovely book is a look at a common but often overlooked and rarely seen animal and is sure to be a strong addition to your animal picture books.

ISBN: 9781629792606; Published 2017 by Boyds Mills Press; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

No comments: