________________ CM . . . . Volume XXIII Number 1. . . .September 9, 2016

cover

Little Fox, Lost.

Nicole Snitselaar. Illustrated by Alicia Padrón. Translated by Erin Woods.
Toronto, ON: Pajama Press, 2016.
32 pp., hardcover, $16.95.
ISBN 978-1-7727-8004-8.

Preschool / Ages 1-4.

Review by Ellen Heaney.

*** /4

   

 

Little Fox, Lost, originally published in French by Les 400 coups, is a charming rendition of the familiar story of a child lost and then found.

internal art     Little Fox and his mother go for a walk on a snowy day. Little Fox is enjoying skipping through the drifts and looking at the patterns his paw prints make. Then:

Down the path, Mama Fox met Mrs. Gray Fox. “Isn’t it a lovely day?”

The two of them began to chat.

It didn’t take long for Little Fox to get bored. He decided to find

some fun of his own.

     All children have been there: an endless conversation by adults that just becomes too much to stand still for. Little Fox wanders off, becoming more and more interested in counting his steps and looking for their traces in the snow. Suddenly, he stops short. He can’t see Mama Fox anywhere. “Where am I? How did I get here?”

internal art      A kindly owl offers to help, but Little Fox has been warned about ‘stranger danger’ and is hesitant to accept the bird’s suggestion that he lead the way back. Little Fox recalls a cautionary verse he has been taught.

If ever you are lost, my child,

Don’t let a stranger guide you.

Be still, and I will search the wild

Until I am beside you.

     Little Fox waits tentatively, quietly. He thinks that even if his mother cannot see him, she might be able to hear him. He begins to sing, and gradually other forest animals join in the chorus to alert Mama Fox to where her little one is. Of course, there is a happy ending as Mama arrives, coming to take Little Fox back to their den to curl up together to sleep.

internal art      Snitselaar has written a pleasant, if not highly original, story that will reassure young listeners about parental love. Soft sepia-toned illustrations show simple animal figures on a white background that imparts a chill winter feeling.

Recommended.

Ellen Heaney is a retired children’s librarian living in Coquitlam, BC.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364
Hosted by the University of Manitoba.
 

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