The Fox and the Star

Penguin Books

The Fox and the Star
Coralie Bickford-Smith
2015

The Summary
"The Fox and the Star is the story of a friendship between a lonely Fox and the Star who guides him through the frightfully dark forest.  Illuminated by Star's rays, Fox forages for food, runs with the rabbits, and dances in the rain--until Star suddenly goes out and life changes, leaving Fox huddling for warmth in the unfamiliar dark.  To find his missing Star, Fox must embark on a wondrous journey beyond the world he knows--a journey lit by courage, newfound friends, and just maybe, a star-filled new sky.

"Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement and the art of William Blake, The Fox and the Star is a heartwarming, hopeful tale which comes alive through Bickford-Smith's beloved illustrations, guiding readers both young and grown to 'look up beyond your ears.'"

The Good
The Fox and the Star is a short, sweet and incredibly beautiful children's book.  I stumbled across it by accident, spying the cover on a recommendation list or, maybe, somewhere on one of the many bookish websites I inhabit.  Anyway, I read it simply because I fell in love with the cover.  I mean, I loved the dark background highlighted with twisting, spiraling vines--and I couldn't pass up a book about a fox.

Admittedly, I thought it might be a young readers novel--like something in the realm of Louis Sachar, or Cressida Cowell--but I discovered it's actually a children's book, an illustrated story that lasts, at most, 30 pages.  However, I can't say I wasn't pleased with The Fox and the Star.  It's a wonderful little story that I'm sure will appeal to young children and, maybe, their parents.

I loved the illustrations.  I loved Fox and his bright orange fur; I loved the dark, quiet forest with its vines and its rabbit dens; I loved the sky of stars.  And I absolutely loved reading the phrase, "Look up beyond your ears."  It had a quality to it, a strange and scintillating illustration that appealed to me more than I expected.

Altogether, The Fox and the Star is wonderfully drawn fable that feels different from the usual ones I've stumbled across in children's literature.  More importantly, it combines a creative story with fantastic illustration to create a magical book.

The Bad
As I pointed out, The Fox and the Star is a children's book.  It's maybe 30 pages--35 pages, at the most--and it's not very complex.  There's not much depth there, if that's what you happen to be looking for.

Like I said, it's for kids.  It's a much simpler story with a much simpler format.

The Ugly
It's a children's book.  There's absolutely nothing to report that might even be misconstrued as crude or explicit or "bad."

No scandalous behavior, no explicit material or foul language, no terrifying images or mature themes.  There's nothing there that might make a reader feel uncomfortable.

Except the beetles.  For some reason, those things gave me the creeps.