Review by Booklist Review
From Geisel Award winner Tabor comes another Fox story in the I Can Read line. Fox has a problem, and it's not a new one: several of his kites are stuck up in the trees. But his attempts at solving it end up creating more problems for his friends. He tries to blow the kites out of the branches with a huge fan, which causes Bear's cave to fill to the brim with leaves. Fox tries to solve Bear's problem with a vacuum, but this causes problems for Rabbit. With each new idea that Fox comes up with, he creates trouble for another one of his friends. Until his friends realize that their problem is actually a Fox problem. Tabor uses short sentence structure and word repetition to help young readers become more confident in their reading ability. His pencil-and-watercolor illustrations tell most of the story and bring Fox's latest antics to comical heights. An amusing tale with minimal text that will encourage multiple readings.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1--Everyone's favorite fox is back, but this time Fox has a big problem: his kite is stuck in a tree! As the humorous illustrations suggest, this is not an isolated incident. Fortunately, Fox has no shortage of ideas to solve this conundrum. Unfortunately, these would-be solutions only create more problems for Fox and his forest friends, including flooding Bear's cave with leaves and kites and blocking Rabbit from leaving his burrow. With tempers running high, Elephant proposes a resolution that leaves everyone happy and flying kites while enjoying each other's company. The engaging text, which is ideal for new and emerging readers, features common sight words and repetitive phrases. Tabor's signature pencil and watercolor illustrations are as charming as ever, with a cast of appealing characters engaged in comical antics. VERDICT A welcome and valuable addition to any early reader collection, sure to be popular with fans of the series in addition to newcomers.--Olivia Gorecke
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Fox and his friends are back in this newest installment in Tabor's Geisel-winning (for Fox the Tiger) beginning-reader series. "Fox has a problem." When Fox's kite gets stuck in a tree, he sees many other kites stuck in trees. He brings in a giant fan to blow them down, and it blows all the kites, along with all the leaves on the trees, into Bear's den. "Now Bear has a problem..." This sets off a chain reaction of questionable choices and humorously disastrous results. Tabor is skilled at letting a controlled vocabulary and tight sentences play it straight while his illustrations bring the comedy. Short statements that lean on sight words and repetition read like wry commentary on Fox's antics, which are made plain in Tabor's colored-pencil and watercolor illustrations. The composition here is perfectly planned -- not a line or gesture wasted -- and the images grow ever more absurd as the pages turn and Fox brings in a giant vacuum to suck up all the leaves and accidentally sucks up Bear and blocks Rabbit's burrow. By the time readers learn that Fox has "a sharp idea" above an image of Fox's hand holding a very large, very sharp needle, they'll be giggling in anticipation of exactly how badly this is all going to end. (c) Copyright 2024. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Problem-solving is complicated. Fox's problem: A kite has gotten tangled in a tree. Fox's big idea? Hauling over a huge fan whose enormous wind power loosens not only that kite, but also other kites as well as leaves on nearby trees. Someone else now has a problem--those items have filled Bear's den. Fox's next big idea involves using a powerful vacuum cleaner to suck up the den's detritus. It also engulfs Bear, who hilariously fills the overstuffed vacuum bag. A new problem arises for Rabbit, whose burrow's entrance is blocked by the gigantic bag. So, brandishing a sharp pin, Fox pricks the bag, and it pops, unblocking the burrow but strewing its contents everywhere. One might believe everything's now OK…but all the animals have a problem--with Fox--plus, every kite's tangled in the trees again. Fox's fed-up neighbors ask Fox to leave. But Elephant's terrific big idea puts everything right. This comical early reader, expressed in understated sentences and simple vocabulary on nearly every page, will charm youngsters; they'll giggle at Fox's outlandish "big ideas" and the havoc they wreak. Onomatopoeic sound words heighten the fun. Caldecott Honoree Tabor's wry illustrations, rendered in pencil, colored pencil, and watercolor and assembled digitally, are muted, set against uncluttered backgrounds, allowing kids to focus on the characters and the humorous proceedings. Children will have no problem enjoying this delightfully witty book. (Early reader. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
