HOW TO FIND A FOX

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.