Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Simple storytelling and a moody palette of grays, blues, and yellows document the nighttime explorations of a sleek gray fox venturing home to its sleeping kits. Basic subject-verb-adverb descriptions of the fox's movements ("Gray Fox/ walks// so lightly") mingle with quiet moments of observation ("The breeze/ moves slightly"). In one spread, the fox, presented in shadowy silhouette, looks skyward through a stand of largely bare birch-like trunks, through which "the stars shine/ between the leaves." Peterson's text works neatly alongside crisp graphic renderings, whose varied textures catch the eye. As the sun fills a final page with warm tones, the fox curls up beside her young--a gentle reminder that even the nocturnal must find time to rest. Ages 2--8. (Jan.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--3--A mother fox pads through the brisk autumn forest, the lone creature moving in the veil of night. As she strolls, she absorbs the sights and sounds of her surroundings--the descent of autumn leaves, the glimpses of the moon and stars through the canopy overhead, and her reflection in the winding river. After a moment of quiet solemnity, the mother fox swiftly follows the trail back to her den of kits just as the sun rises. This work's spare text is chosen with expert precision so that the few words have maximum impact. The text's placement echoes the movement it depicts, making this book rife with early literacy opportunities. The monochromatism of the austere, gray tones doesn't want for detail and depth. Peterson's shifts in perspectives throughout create a sense of movement and heighten the immersive aspects of his illustrative style. Somber, contemplative works are often dense with text, whereas this book needs not one breath more for its perfect autumn and winter message. VERDICT Even the youngest of toddlers will be quickly absorbed in this brief but engaging work.--Sarah Simpson
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Never trust a picture book. People who grow up with children's books may have strange, romanticized ideas about animals: Elephants are as regal as Babar. Caterpillars are cuddly and very hungry. The foxes in this picture book are more beautiful than any real animal. Gray Fox is as dark as a shadow, and her eyes are as wide as moons. Peterson has even improved on the sky. Glowing lights spiral across it, like milk dissolving in a cup of coffee. But readers will be grateful they had a chance to see it. The text is just as poetic: "All the world is still / until // Gray Fox moves again." The poetry often comes less from the words than from the spaces between them. One sentence is scattered across the spread a word at a time: "The / stars / shine / between / the / leaves." The text matches the fox's steps so perfectly that readers may feel as though they're following her home through the woods. But then, that's the entirety of the story: Gray Fox goes home to her children and falls asleep. There's no drama here, but if the story were any less spare, readers might not stop to see the wonders along the way. (This book was reviewed digitally.) If foxes have lost some of their fairy-tale enchantment, this book might restore it. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
