How to Find a Fox

Starred review from September 1, 2021
Gardner's text will tell readers about red foxes and how to find them, but Saarinen's photos are the draw that will get them into the woods practicing their stillness and observation skills. Brief text on each page, with the occasional paragraph of further information in a smaller font, presents readers with just the basics. Readers can look in the forest, the meadow, or the city and possibly spot a fox. Up-close photos of adorable foxes in each locale fill the pages. Similarly, children can look in the morning or afternoon, but dawn and dusk are best. Foxes don't hibernate, so they can be spied through all four seasons. Gardner tells readers not to look in the sky, in trees, or in rivers or ponds, and don't bother looking in the rain when foxes use other animals' abandoned dens for shelter. She highlights foxes' "fast feet, / amber eyes, / and...soft tail tipped in white" and describes what fox tracks look like (in contrast to two others, unidentified) and the sounds foxes make. The last hints are the most helpful for hopeful fox-spotters: "You must be as still as a pebble... / and as quiet as the moon. / You must be willing to wait...and wait." Saarinen's photos are phenomenal; amateur photographers will drool in envy and perhaps learn a few tips in his photographer's note. A beautiful book that will draw readers out into nature and put their patience to the test. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

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Starred review from September 15, 2021
Preschool-Grade 3 *Starred Review* This riveting picture book introduces foxes through encouraging words and exceptional color photos. The dual text offers short phrases and sentences, printed in large type and extending over several double-page spreads. "If you want to find a fox, you can look in the forest" begins the conversational main text, which works equally well for reading the book aloud with a young child or a group of children. For kids who want to know more, occasional paragraphs present information relevant to topics such as where foxes might be found, what they eat, how they deal with heat in summer and cold in winter, what sounds they make, and how to recognize their tracks. The closing words, which encourage kids to wait "patient, quiet, and still" for a glimpse of a fox, relates directly to the illustrator's note on the facing page, where he describes learning to photograph wildlife near his home in Finland. Beautifully composed and lit, Saarinen's photos invite comparison with the work of the best nature photographers in children's books, such as Nic Bishop and Suzi Eszterhas. The many appealing close-ups of adult foxes and pups are balanced with beautiful landscape shots of the animals' varied habitats. A captivating book for animal lovers.

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