Wild Fox: A True Story

From Publishers Weekly
"Have you ever touched the nose of a wild red fox? I have." With this pleasingly disconcerting opening, Mason leads readers into the wonder of her relationship with an unexpected backyard visitant. When a maimed fox accepts her offering of chicken, Mason grows curious about her skittish forest neighbor and deliberates about how far she should intervene in saving his life. Vicky--as the fox comes to be called--savors Mason's treats (especially blueberry muffins), although he never abandons his wild nature. But one memorable night, as friends watch "the rippling pink and lavender curtains of the northern lights," the bushy-tailed animal joins the group--a leaping, somersaulting form among spellbound human shadows. Surrounded by Stammen's strikingly poignant and elegantly rendered pastel illustrations, the book's sustantial text rests not on poetic power alone, but also on the natural eloquence of a truly told event. Indeed, Mason checks tender yearnings with a conversational tone, weaving in pertinent facts and telling of experiences rather than of feelings, all of which lend force to the softly dramatic and bittersweet ending. Mason communicates her innate awe at reaching across the chasm that separates civilized intelligence from feral instinct, and her riveting book pinpoints that charged, mysterious intersection where humans can meet the wild without taming it. Ages 5-13. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
A journalist/wildlife advocate who lives on Maine's Deer Isle recounts her friendship with a three-legged fox. She first observed him when he had just escaped from a steel trap; feeding him while he healed, she won his trust. The leisurely narrative describes ``Vicky's'' behavior that spring and summer--his fondness for blueberry muffins, his moonlight antics, his renewed ability to hunt. In the fall, he returned to the wild, his departure accompanied with a gentle homily (addressed more to readers than to the fox) on hazards to avoid, especially man. Longer than Faith McNulty's Orphan (1992) and not quite so gracefully phrased, but with similar appeal. McAllister's beautifully observed art is precisely rendered in softly muted tones; portraits and lively spreads are supplemented with charming initial vignettes to punctuate the solid blocks of text. Handsome and appealing. (Nonfiction. 5+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


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The author's wonderful encounter with a wounded fox on Deer Isle, Maine is told in simple prose and luminous drawings. An apparent victim of a steel-jaw leghold trap, "Vicky" lost his right front paw. He regained his strength, partly due to chicken drumsticks and blueberry muffins provided by the author. He warily accepted her presence, and gradually became quite comfortable at her home. The author conveys the special joy she felt sharing her world with this beautiful creature, and her wistful pleasure when Vicky finally returned to the wild. School Library Journal Best Book.


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