Good parents everywhere know the tension of wanting our kids to be curious, to have rich experiences and friends…but to be perfectly safe while doing it.

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A tender little story……

LITTLE FOX

Edward van de Vendel – Author
Marije Tolman – Illustrator

An exuberant young fox plays joyfully among birds and animals, not always paying attention to possible dangers.

He cannot resist racing behind two purple butterflies, causing him to zoom past the edge of an outcropping, falling heavily.   After his fall, he starts to dream. It’s a dream about his life from when he was a very small baby to growing up with his brothers and sisters. It’s a dream of smells, of mice and deer, of wind and water. Daddy Fox warns Little Fox not to be so curious but he can’t help but wonder about the little boy with the camera. It turns out the boy saves Little Fox from getting his head stuck in a jar. Then after his terrible fall, the little human arrives just in time to save Little Fox one more time.

Marije Tolman’s dreamscapes  are softly hued.

This story celebrates the small things in life, a mother’s love, a father’s attention, siblings, food, and exploration. Throughout, there is a feeling of joy and marvel, such as the memory of licking drops of water off of a deer’s nose. The book is also peppered with smaller moments, blackberries, birds, and orange balls.

And when Little Fox wakes up, he’s perhaps a little wiser, but still every bit as curious and full of life.

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Thank you, Melissa L. Castellano for sharing your beautiful illustration with us.

Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes
Melissa L. Castellano, 2020
[email protected]

THE RED FOX

RANGE

Red foxes can be found throughout the continental United States from Alaska to Florida. The smallest population is in the Southwest, where it is very rare to see a red fox. Red foxes like open areas in woodlands, rural and suburban neighborhoods, wetlands, and brushy fields.

LIFE HISTORY
Red foxes mate in winter. Right after mating, a female builds a den. Females can deliver anywhere between one and 12 pups per litter. Pups are born brown or gray, usually turning red within about a month. Both parents take care of their offspring until the next fall, when the young foxes set out on their own.

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DRAW A SIMPLE FOX

This little fox’s face was created with simple shapes.

Start by drawing your fox with pencil.  Color with markers, crayons, paints or pastels. He was cut out and glued onto a paper bag.

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