Review by Booklist Review
Ages 6-8. In a tale that the author recalls from childhood storytelling sessions, a young black girl named Flossie outwits a fox who has his eye on the eggs she is carrying to an elderly neighbor. Flossie's trick is to make believe she doesn't know the fox is a fox: ``I aine never seen a fox before. So, why should I be scared of you and I don't even-now know you a real fox for a fact?'' By the time the fox has tried one ploy after another to prove who he is, Flossie is near her destination, where the farmer's threatening hounds make the fox skedaddle. Isadora's full-color paintings capture well the sultry heat of a rural southern summer. Flossie is a bright-eyed, supremely composed child who works her ruse with quiet aplomb. The story lends itself to reading aloud; the proper dramatic expression will make this a crowd pleaser. DMW. Foxes Fiction [CIP] 86-2024
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Flossie carefully stores her straw doll in a hollow tree stump when Big Mama calls her away from play. She wants Flossie to deliver eggs to ``Miz Viola over at the McCutchin Place. Seem like they been troubled by a fox. Miz Viola's chickens be so scared, they can't even now lay a stone.'' Flossie has never seen a fox, but sets off through the shady, cool woods. When she meets the fox, she doesn't recognize him, and so introduces herself. He identifies himself, but Flossie doesn't believe him. He points out his thick fur. ``Feels like rabbit fur to me,'' Flossie replies. ``You a rabbit.'' The fox notes his long pointed nose, and Flossie decides that rats have similar noses. ``You a rat trying to pass yo'self off as a fox.'' The fox desperately tries to persuade Flossie of his identity. She just keeps walking, until they are in the road, where the McCutchin hounds are ready to pounce on the fox. ``The hounds know who I am!'' the fox cries. ``I know,'' says Flossie. Her eggs are safe, and the little girl has outfoxed the ``ol' confidencer.'' This is a sly tale, richly evoked by both Isadora's lavish paintings and the storyteller's dialect. (4-8) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3 McKissack recounts this story which was told to her as a child by her grandfather. Flossie is a young black girl who lives with her grandmother in the rural south. When Big Mama sends Flossie to deliver a basket of eggs to a neighbor, she cautions her to be careful of the fox who had been frightening the chickens and stealing their eggs. To Flossie's ``How do a fox look?,'' Big Mama responds that ``A fox be just a fox.'' Having no idea what this means, Flossie sets out on her mission through a wooded area, where she is greeted by the fox. As he tries to convince her that he is to be feared, she refutes him by insisting that he prove who he is. To readers' delight, the frustrated fox fails every attempt. Fox' final confrontation with a fierce dog saves the day for Flossie, who proves herself to be more cunning than the fox. The watercolor and ink illustrations, with realistic figures set on impressionistic backgrounds, enliven this humorous and well-structured story which is told in the black language of the rural south. The language is true, and the illustrations are marvelously complementary in their interpretation of the events. This spirited little girl will capture readers from the beginning, and they'll adore her by the end of this delightful story. Helen E. Williams, University of Maryland, College Park (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
McKissack tells ""a story from my youth, retold in the same rich and colorful language that was my grandfather's,"" a delicious reversal of Red Riding Hood that serves as parable of black outwitting white. Flossie Finley is to carry eggs through the Tennessee forest to Miz Viola, watching out for the ""ol' slickster"" fox, who loves eggs. Flossie isn't scared, but ""disremembers"" ever seeing a fox, so when the fox introduces himself she remains unconvinced--through several delightful exchanges as the fox becomes more and more distraught at her lack of recognition (""I am a fox, and you will act accordingly."" "". . .Unless you can show you a fox, I'll not accord you nothing!"" and ""I may never recover my confidence."" "". . .You just an ol' confidencer""). The fox uses big, pretentious words, but Flossie's sly good humor gets him every time. Isadora's watercolor, ink and pencil illustrations fully realize the spirit of the text, with Flossie's sturdy, self-reliant stance and the fox growing progressively more tentative and defensive. Mellow green, lemon, rust and earth tones fill a safe, sun-dappled world. A perfect picture book. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
