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Fox and Crow are NOT Friends is a chapter book for new readers in first through third grades. Its illustrations, vocabulary, and story have a cozy familiarity that will enable new readers to venture into the book without the trepidation that some readers who are just starting out may feel.
The events of the book begin familiarly enough: with a restating and recapping of Aesop’s fable of "The Fox and the Crow." By third grade, most American schoolchildren have heard this story. The author is aware of this, and what is really fun is how she uses this well-known story to show that there is always more one can hear about a story or a certain issue. The story begins: Fox and Crow did not like each other one bit. You might have heard about their first fight. It started over a piece of cheese.
The first chapter recaps the well-known story. At the end of the chapter, the Fox is clearly the winner. While the old fable--and this first chapter--ends with the Crow being humiliated by her own foolishness, the new story goes on to show the consequences of anger, scheming, and revenge.
Because chapters two and three show us the angry scheming of both Fox and Crow, the child reader is able to see the plans in the animal’s imagination as well as follow through on how Fox and Crow go about the execution of their plans.
This is a really fun book. The vocabulary is accessible, and Fox and Crow’s plotting is easy to follow. The pictures are fun, and even though Fox and Crow are angry as all get out, they still appear as cute forest storybook creatures. Any child will be able to see his own anger and need for comeuppance in this three-chapter book, and they will recognize the outcome as well.
Highly recommended, for teachers or parents.
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Fox and Crow are NOT Friends (Step into Reading)