Readers expecting sweet, comforting animal stories will be disappointed; These are dark, frightening, often sad stories with a tinge of realism. The old fox storyteller in Bog Cavern tells a series of interconnected stories about two young foxes, Uly and Mia, to a slowly dwindling audience of fox kits, interspersed with dialogue with the young foxes and Wu's chilling black and white charcoal pictures.
Mia begins, with a terrifying encounter with her teacher Miss Vix, who comes under the influence of "the yellow," or rabies. Fleeing with her mother, she then encounters an even more terrifying menace; humans, in the shape of Beatrix Potter, taxidermist and soul-stealing artist. Meanwhile, Uly, who has a withered leg, is taunted and tormented by his cruel sisters, haunted by his own, all-too-real fears, and eventually flees his abusive and demented father. The two meet and struggle on together, both longing and searching for their mothers. They encounter the terrifying Golgathursh, the cruel and deceptive Mr. Scratch, and finally a ghostly return from the beginning of the story tests all their strength and cunning to not only survive but to save the orphaned kits they have found.
Only one fox kit remains at the end of the series of tales, as the morning sun rises and her mother calls her home. More connections are made and while there may not be a bright future ahead - the sounds of development and destruction are all around - the old fox has hope that her kind will continue to triumph over the many frightening dangers they face.
As an adult, I found the section on Beatrix Potter annoying - yes, she did practice taxidermy and was not sentimental about animals, but she was also responsible for the preservation of the Lake District - the home of the foxes - and I am doubtful that, since she was so unsentimental about animals, that she would have had the viewpoints of foxes being "bad" that were espoused here. But kids aren't likely to even know who she is, so that's really a personal quibble. Many of the stories focus on betrayal and abuse by family and friends and the terror comes from the sudden change from familiar and loving to strange and cruel. Sensitive children will absolutely not want to read this, not even kids who have made it through books like One and Only Ivan. This is one for fans of Scary Stories to tell in the dark and readers who like the dark and gruesome with a healthy dose of atmospheric terror.
Verdict: Hand to readers who love chilling stories and are also strong readers, as the build-up to the fear can be slow going. If you could get the audience together, it would be cool to read it aloud leading up to Halloween, although you're just as likely to get complaints that it's too scary! This is the natural successor to Watership Down. You have been warned.
ISBN: 9781250181428; Published July 2019 by Henry Holt Books; Borrowed from another library in my consortium
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