Fox Walked Alone

Fox wakes one morning feeling that "there was something in the air." He notices pairs of animals marching by in a hurry and joins the procession without quite knowing why. After a long journey, including a night when "tooth and claw and fur and feather...lay down to sleep together" and a detour to free a pair of caged doves in an abandoned city, fox finds a she-fox waiting for him and they enter Noah's Ark together. The rhyming text is serviceable, although there are few awkward moments as in the forced rhyming of "thought" and "not" and the sudden shifts from couplets to monorhyme. The internal logic is a little shaky as well: it's odd that all the other animals, including the female fox, know what is going on while the fox does not. Noah's appearance at the end of the story is a surprise to the fox, and the significance of the ark is not explained in the text. Reid has supplied a springboard from which the religious content can be supplied by readers who bring their own background knowledge with them. This book is best used as a supplement to more Torah-traditional retellings, rather than as an introduction to the Noah story. Despite the weaknesses of the text, Barbara Reid's signature plasticine art elevates this book to a "must have" level. The bright colors, the variations in texture, the intricate detail, the changes in perspective, and the touches of silent humor all make this a book to pore over again and again. For ages 4 - 8. Heidi Estrin

This a wonderfuly book about a fox and his long walk through the land. This book has wonderul illustrations and the text is clear, concise, and children should be able to identify the rhyming words from the text.

Fox walked alone is Barbara Reid's retelling of the story of Noah's Ark. It is the story of Fox who follows the other animals even though they are traveling in pairs. It is incredibly well written and the illustrations are awesome. This will be a great book for children of all ages. Famous for her plasticine illustrations, Canadian author and illustrator Barbara Reid is world renowned. Reid has won just about every Canadian award for children's authors or illustrators. She won the Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Illustration for The Party and this book was nominated for 7 awards.