Hello, friends! JJ had her Bookworm Birthday Party today, so we picked a favorite from our personal library to read to her guests: The Fox In The Dark, written by Alison Green and illustrated by Deborah Allwright, a sweet and poignant tale about mistaken first impressions.

Rabbit runs home at a hurried pace; there is a vicious fox out in the dark tonight. As soon as he secures himself in his burrow for the night, he hears a knock on the door. A duck has gotten stranded in the woods, and asks to take shelter with the rabbit. Soon after, an exhausted mouse and a timid lamb also beg sanctuary, making Rabbit’s only bed quite crowded for the evening. And just as they are settling in, there is another knock at the door: the fox! But he isn’t quite what he appears to be… 

This is one of our favorite bedtime books, and we enjoy it every time. The message, that things and people are rarely as simple as they appear, is a classic but with an important twist: don’t fear what you don’t understand. By revealing that the fox isn’t hunting for a meal but for her lost cub, it encourages little readers to consider things from all perspectives before snapping to judgement. The rhyming text, full of onomatopoeia and opportunities for unique character voices, is a delight. The art is funny, surprising and sweet in turns. The length is perfect, and both JJ and her party guests are fans! This is a great story, and we love having it as part of our library. Baby Bookworm approved!