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Those who are already fans of Emma Dodd's previous book Foxy--which introduced readers to a fox with a magical tail that doesn't always get things right and his little red-headed friend Emily--will get more out of of this follow-up than readers as yet unfamiliar with the pair.
Emily wants to make a Valentine's Day card, but she loves so many things she doesn't know what she should draw. Foxy tries to help her figure out what she loves most.
Balloons! But Foxy's errant tail produces several raccoons before he manages to shake out some balloons. Pots of hot chocolate with marshmallows? Foxy's tail delivers a tub full, which is lots--and too much. Flowers yields a huge pile of flour, and rainbows are accompanied by rain.
Emily's card is full, but Foxy still doesn't think she's thought of everything. Then he realizes what they've forgotten: that Valentine's Day isn't about what you love, it's about who you love.
Dodd's illustrations are thickly outlined and bold, calling to mind Caroline Mockford's Cleo books. The illustrations pack more punch than the story (the message seems a little thin and tacked on), but the silliness of Foxy's mistaken hearing and the results his tail produces somewhat make up for the book's weaknesses. With its big illustrations, Foxy in Love could be used in early elementary classes as read-aloud and for the phonetic near-misses that make up the real core of the story.
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Sharon Schulz-Elsing/2014 for curled
up with a good kid's book |
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visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)
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Foxy in Love