Fox: A Circle of Life Story

By Author / Illustrator

Isabel Thomas, Daniel Egneus

Genre

Picture Books

Age range(s)

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

ISBN

9781526600776

Format

Hardback

Published

01-10-2020

Synopsis

'This is the perfect book for talking to children about death' - The Guardian 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.

Fox: A Circle of Life Story answers the big scientific question: What happens when we die? Bringing together an evocative non-fiction narrative with breath-taking illustrations, this book will help parents and children to talk about life and death. It introduces the scientific concept that death leads to new life, and that this way of understanding the world is no less beautiful and awe-inspiring than traditional stories. Fox: A Circle of Life Story unites story and science to explain this big concept to children who have lost a pet or a loved one, or who simply are curious about death and what happens after we die.

PRAISE FOR MOTH: AN EVOLUTION STORY' A rare pleasure ... a true story of adaptation and hope.' - Wall Street Journal' Moth ... is a stunning visual experience.' - Books for Keeps' Moth ... is another picture book with inbuilt growing room, an introduction to the concept of evolution in language both scientific and poetic, full of thrill and peril.' - Times Literary Supplement

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Reviews

The presentation of this book is absolutely stunning from start to finish. You cannot help but ooh and aww at the beautiful illustrations. Fox: A Circle of Life Story is the story of a fox and her mission to find food throughout the seasons. We follow the fox as she teaches her fuzzy cubs to hunt, 'ears pricked' and 'nose to the ground'. However, unfortunately the fox dies and her cubs are left to fend for themselves, putting into practise the skills they have learnt. The story then continues to explain how the mother fox's body, although no longer living, breathes life into a host of other living things.

This book explains to children the process of decomposition and shows that although death is the end of one life, it is also the beginning of many more. This will prove a tricky concept for young minds to understand, but what better place to start than with a calming poetic tale and beautiful visuals.

For me, some parts of this story felt a little too harsh for young readers and in places I feel the text might not prove strong enough to hold the children's attention. At the back of the book there is a double page spread providing scientific factual information on what happens when something dies, what decomposition is and 'the cycle of life'. The illustrations really are breath-taking, the copper tones are so inviting, bringing depth and emotion to a difficult subject.

A good book to read carefully with a class to evoke discussion and to enjoy some fantastic artwork.

48 pages / Reviewed by Nikki Stiles, teacher