Synopsis: This beautifully illustrated picture book tells a brief story about a family of foxes who, living in an urban environment close to the tracks of a railway line, interact with the humans who share their territory.

Review: This beautifully illustrated picture book tells a brief story about a family of foxes who, living in an urban environment close to the tracks of a railway line, interact with the humans who share their territory.

My reaction to this picture-book was mixed. On the one hand, the book is beautifully presented, with rich and evocative illustration. The story is, in its own way, very moving. On the other hand, it has a  tendency to sentimentality, and there are several points that concern me. I wonder whether the softened picture of urban life would necessarily ring true to children actually growing up in the rough areas Foreman seems to be trying to evoke: attack in this book does not lead to the violence which would probably be inevitable in real life. Furthermore, I do not think that the book teaches an ideal lesson about interaction with nature and animals; feeding junk and scraps to wild animals is praised and shown to lead to a bond between human and scavenger (the pickings from a garbage can are described as 'good things to eat'), and the violence and unnaturalness which must be a part of the life of a wild animal attempting to survive on the outskirts of a city is downplayed.

I think, on the whole, the pictures that this book paints are misleading, and encourage an attitude that would be to the benefit of neither child nor animal. The detritus of human existence and the encroachment of human excess on wildlife is, I feel, reinforced here. It may be that these are levels of meaning meant to be unpicked by the reader, but I do not feel the presentation of the book encourages the reader to do so. So, while this book is in many ways a lovely story and a beautiful commercial product, I am concerned about the implications embedded within it.

2006-11-10