Fox Tale - Softcover

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- The animals of the forest are fed up with Fox's wily ways. One by one, Crow, Rabbit, Donkey, and Bear have been flattered, tricked, or somehow connived out of a variety of tasty treats. They team up to hatch a clever plot of their own, and taste the sweetness of revenge (as well as their recovered refreshments) as they drive Fox to desperation by beating him at his own game. While the theme of outfoxing a fox is tried and true in folklore, Abolafia adds a genuine freshness to his story, and his woodland critters' tactics are creative and nonviolent. There is a moment of hairy suspense as Fox offers a rough-looking "tail" to Bear after emitting "screams of pain" through a closed door. The lively, succinct text is complemented perfectly by the humorously expressive pen-and-watercolor cartoons of the scheming rascal Fox and the guileless Bear. Satisfying but never predictable, Fox Tale will be enjoyed in groups as well as by independent readers. --Starr LaTronica, North Berkeley Library, CA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Fox is the forest con artist. The wily animal has already talked Donkey into trading his prized chestnuts to him for a bag of rocks, given Rabbit sour grapes in exchange for sweet ones and snatched away Crow's cheese. Fox attempts to add Bear to the list of victims by offering him his luxurious tail in exchange for Bear's half-jar of honey. After Fox disparages Bear's tail Listening to Fox's disparagement of his tail ("everybody else has a better one than you"), the two strike a bargain. Bear agrees to the bargain. But this bruin is not the simpleton he at first seems, and he nicely turns the tables on his tormentor. In the end, the combined intellect of all the victims is too much for Fox, and they trick him into a hasty retreat. In Abolafia's ( My Three Uncles ; A Fish for Mrs. Gardenia ) Aesop-like fable, youngsters will relish the clever plot twists as they cheer for the duped animals. Like the text, the illustrations are peppy and expressive--slightly reminiscent of the work of William Steig. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.