Fox: A Circle of Life Story

 

Publication date: November 30, 2021

My Thoughts:

This book starts off reminding us to "look closely, listen carefully. Life is stirring in the shadows." dum, dum dum! Sorry, that is just what I heard in my head but what a fabulously simple way to pair sparse text with art to create a tone that is not over the top or obvious. It is subtle. The opening page just shows a mother holding her baby in a front carrier and another child walking ahead. Yes they are in the snow in a forest, but they are in a clearing. There is a light source, and the only darkness comes from the trees on the left margin.

This story of a fox family may be a little much for little ones, but what it does for middle grades is it provides a realistic view of death and how in nature death is a way to also give life. It is a biology lesson rolled into a children's book. I especially liked the end pages that take the science of death and present it as a "cycle of life."  If middle grades can do this type of writing to show what they learned, who needs a paper pencil test? Use this as a model for assessment. 

From the Publisher:

In the frost-covered forest of early spring, fox is on a mission to find food for her three cubs. As they grow, she teaches them how to survive in the wild. Until one day, fox dies. Her body goes back to earth and grass and air, nourishing the world around her and bringing the forest to life. Death is not just an end, it's also a beginning.

With gorgeous illustrations and lyrical, kid-friendly text, Fox: A Circle of Life Story answers the big scientific question: What happens when animals die?