Little fox in the snow by Jonathan London, illustrated by Daniel Miyares

I will frankly admit that, along with many other librarians, teachers, and caregivers, I find the Froggy books to be... annoying. The kids want them read over and over again but... ugh. However! I am really thrilled at the nonfiction picture books London has been doing, each paired with a different, highly talented, illustrator.

This latest one is a single winter day in the life of a fox. In his den, the fox wakes to the morning light, hunts and catches a mouse and rabbit (only the mouse is shown being caught), and pauses for a drink. He smells a female fox, but then is chased by a wolverine and makes it back to safety with only inches to spare.

The text is written directly to the fox, "Little foxling, where will you go? You flow like a shadow across the fields. You leave little paw prints behind in the snow." The text is spare but lovely, presenting a realistic picture of the fox's life. Miyares' watercolors spread across the page, the fox's red coat a brilliant splash of color against the stark white and brown of the winter landscape. The sun glows in the sky, the wolverine's eyes flash. There's a great deal of beauty in the spare winter landscape of the forest and Miyares captures its beauty and harshness perfectly.

I've read this in several storytimes and while it's not the exuberant, funny type of story, it has a stark beauty that the kids actually respond very well to. Use a quiet voice and gestures to show the fox's movement and kids will be enthralled.

Verdict: A beautiful and informative nonfiction picture book. Note that it's eligible to be nominated for Cybils in 2019! I'm looking forward to adding this to my library. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780763688141; Published November 2018 by Candlewick; Borrowed from another library in my consortium