FOX EXPLORES THE NIGHT

Jenkins and Smythe follow a fox’s search for food and introduce the concepts of light and dark to the very young.

As day turns to night, a fox comes out of her den. She is hungry. She steps cautiously down the path, looking for food. Jenkins acknowledges the fox’s keen eyesight (“She has sharp eyes…”) but in setting up the science-concept theme, mentions something that rings a bit untrue: “…but she still finds it hard to see when it is dark.” Dim light is indeed needed for his exploration of the theme, but the simplicity of the sentence downplays a fox’s nocturnal prowess. Regardless, moonlight, streetlights, car headlights, firelight, and flashlight beams all penetrate the night while the fox is on the hunt. Smythe’s saturated mixed-media illustrations punctuate the dusky blackness with pockets of bright spots to reinforce the lesson. Frontmatter reminds adult readers of themes to discuss: “Moonlight is light from the sun that has bounced off the moon.” Backmatter poses discussion questions: “Can you find examples of different light sources in the book?” A simple index, a trademark of the series, closes the book.

On the surface, a simple story of a fox; with help from an older reader, an intriguing visual representation of a beginning science theme.