Ferdinand Fox's First Summer

January 15, 2013
Adorable photos of baby foxes that fill the double-page spreads make this one hard to resist, even though it is a little light. Holland presents the first part of the red fox's life cycle with the story of Ferdinand, one fox kit she photographed throughout his first summer. Short, bland paragraphs of information describe how the five fox kits grow and learn, their mother nursing and grooming them and, when they are ready, bringing back food for them to eat. Ferdinand and his siblings explore the world with their senses, putting new things in their mouths to taste and feel. They point their ears toward sounds and explore their incredible sense of smell. The kits practice pouncing on prey by jumping on each other and play fight to learn defenses. By the end of the summer, Ferdinand is putting all these things to use to find his own food, and next spring, his own kits will be learning the same lessons. The consistent placement of text over the photographs in a san serif type is a particularly graceless design choice. Two pages in the "For Creative Minds" section in the backmatter list some fox facts and adaptations (repeating much that was in the text), while another two contain activities. Young animal lovers will be sure to check this out, even if they don't return to it for repeat readings. (Nonfiction. 4-7)

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July 1, 2013

K-Gr 1-Ferdinand is a red fox kit who begins life in a den with his brothers and sisters. Readers observe him and his siblings getting milk from their mother and, as they grow, waiting for her to bring them food. Also discussed are foxes' keen senses and how meaningful play teaches them to thrive in the wild. The story, which takes readers through the course of a year, concludes with Ferdinand's gradual approach to independence as he must hunt on his own. Each spread includes a large, engaging photo and a paragraph or two of text. The book concludes with additional facts about red foxes and short activities about their life cycle and diets. No sources are listed. The brief text does not have much depth, but it is accurately touted as being a "fun-to-read story and a launch pad for discussions and learning."-Stephanie Farnlacher, Trace Crossings Elementary School, Hoover, AL

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2013
This book chronicles the development of a red fox from birth through the first few months of life. Close-up color photographs illustrate how fox kits interact with their mother, their littermates, and their environment. Some clumsy writing and a dull design weaken the presentation slightly. Back matter nicely expands on the information; readers are pointed to the publisher's website for cross-curricular activities.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)