FINDING FOXES

In muted turquoise and gold, rich shades of lavender and sharp fox red, a series of hauntingly lovely double-spread paintings extend the images in Blyler's cycle of poetic epiphanies. The subject is foxes in a natural habitat in the Northeast, from dawn till moonlight; in each picture, one fox is clearly visible, others less so, with passages that might or might not be additional foxes—or other creatures. Blyler plays subtly with the idea of the wild animal's evanescent image: ``The fox knows what is real, and what is imagined.'' Still, ``I will always know what is real, but I can weave an imagination of foxes.'' Later, she touches other dimensions of meaning: ``If I imitate the fox, I cannot change him.'' Blake's debut, Riptide (1990), was notable for its skill and sensitivity; this partnership with Blyler's unusually thoughtful and imaginative verse is even more outstanding. (Picture book. 4+)