A special and unusual relationship began when Cherie Mason helped an injured fox that came into her yard one winter morning. Crippled by a steel-jawed trap, the young fox had every reason to mistrust all humans, yet he was won over by Cherie's persistent gentleness (and tidbits from her kitchen). Suffused with a gentle sense of wonder, Wild Fox speaks with great resonance to a deep and very human impulse: the longing to span the gulf between the species.
Wild Fox: A True Story FROM THE PUBLISHER An exquisitely illustrated, touching story of the author's friendship with an injured red fox. 25,000 copies sold!
SYNOPSIS A wonderfully illustrated, touching story of the author's friendship with an injured red fox. Over 25,000 copies sold!
FROM THE CRITICS Smithsonian Magazine "Absolutely the outstanding natural history title of the year."
Publishers Weekly ``Have you ever touched the nose of a wild red fox? I have.'' With this pleasingly disconcerting opening, Mason leads readers into the wonder of her relationship with an unexpected backyard visitant. When a maimed fox accepts her offering of chicken, Mason grows curious about her skittish forest neighbor and deliberates about how far she should intervene in saving his life. Vicky--as the fox comes to be called--savors Mason's treats (especially blueberry muffins), although he never abandons his wild nature. But one memorable night, as friends watch ``the rippling pink and lavender curtains of the northern lights,'' the bushy-tailed animal joins the group--a leaping, somersaulting form among spellbound human shadows. Surrounded by Stammen's strikingly poignant and elegantly rendered pastel illustrations, the book's sustantial text rests not on poetic power alone, but also on the natural eloquence of a truly told event. Indeed, Mason checks tender yearnings with a conversational tone, weaving in pertinent facts and telling of experiences rather than of feelings, all of which lend force to the softly dramatic and bittersweet ending. Mason communicates her innate awe at reaching across the chasm that separates civilized intelligence from feral instinct, and her riveting book pinpoints that charged, mysterious intersection where humans can meet the wild without taming it. Ages 5-13. (June)
Children's Literature - Dr. Judy Rowen The author's wonderful encounter with a wounded fox on Deer Isle, Maine is told in simple prose and luminous drawings. An apparent victim of a steel-jaw leghold trap, "Vicky" lost his right front paw. He regained his strength, partly due to chicken drumsticks and blueberry muffins provided by the author. He warily accepted her presence, and gradually became quite comfortable at her home. The author conveys the special joy she felt sharing her world with this beautiful creature, and her wistful pleasure when Vicky finally returned to the wild. School Library Journal Best Book.
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