Fox

Rating:
Summary: powerful and disturbing book for older readers
Review: "Fox" won the 2001 Children's Book Council of Australia award for best picture book, but it's certainly not a story for little children. Illustrated by Ron Brooks (who did "John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat" among many others), the pages are bathed in reds, oranges and blacks, and has the text written in a dark scrawl, sometimes at strange angles.

Set in the aftermath of a bushfire (forest fire), a one-eyed dog befriends a magpie bird who can no longer fly and gently nurses her back to emotional health. Magpie rides on Dog's back to simulate flying, and acts as a new eye for him. This happy state is endangered when a feral Fox comes and lives with them. Fox is also damaged, but only on the inside ; he is jealous of their great friendship (due to his own inability to love) and works to destroy it. From the ending, it is not clear if he failed.

"Fox" is probably best for 8/9 years and up, as the dark imagery and open ending can be could be upsetting for small children but it is an interesting and thought provoking book for older readers.

Rating:
Summary: High-minded intentions, limited results
Review: I realize that I am going against the grain in not praising Wild's _Fox_ as most reviewers in right and proper journals have done. Indeed, _Fox_ was named the Best Picture Book of the year in Wild's native Austraila. It is not popular to pan a book lauded by the experts in the field, however, I feel that _Fox_ deserves another, more realistic evaluation.
This deeply depressing picture book relies on gimmicky fonts and cliche to tell a story which most closely allegorizes an extra-marital affair rather than a betrayal of friendship as reviews have suggested. Not that there is anything wrong in doing so, but the book ends much too quickly, almost like a sitcom, seeking to solve the problems of the world in 1/2 hour. In the last page the book that attempts to be a commentary on betrayal, friendship, etc., quickly deteriorates into nearly a "happily ever after" complete with a "jiggly-hop!" My review will not be popular, but I urge readers to take a look at the book once more and decide for yourselves; don't just praise a book because the "experts" have done so.

Rating:
Summary: A moving story, told in an unforgettable artistic medium
Review: Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks's Fox is a children's picturebook originally published in Australia. Written in shaky, printed script as if penned by a young child, and illustrated with powerful color drawings with just a hint of abstractionism to their art, Fox is an immersive tale of a one-eyed dog, a magpie with a burned wing, and a jealous fox who tries to end their friendship. A moving story, told in an unforgettable artistic medium, makes this unique book a children's classic.

Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking discussion starter
Review: This book is similar to a Shakespeare tale, leaving you with questions and urging you to imagine what will happen after the book is closed. I recommend this book for all middle school and high school age teens. It opens up discussions on friendship, betrayal and trust: concepts that are of great importance at that time.

Rating:
Summary: this book will break your heart
Review: This book will haunt your sleep and make you cry at night. It's about futility and betrayal and love and it is heartbreaking. It is not for small children. It is a beautiful, sad book.