How to Find a Fox by Nilah Magruder

How to Find a Fox by Nilah Magruder (2016) #ownvoices

A plucky little adventurer sets out with backpack and camera in hand—determined to find a fox. The narrator explains the best way to go about finding a fox, while the illustrations show the girl stymied at every step and the sly fox always just out of her sight.  As soon as she gives up or turns away, there’s the fox doing just what she wanted it to. Highlights include the fox disguised as an owl and a raccoon. Frustrated, she wants to give up, but the narrator instructs her to take a deep breath and a mental break before going on. And, of course, the fox shows up in the end and the final spread is a bunch of snapshots of their time together. I love that the girl gets to explore nature on her own terms, and the way that the text provides a script for what to do when you’re frustrated and want to give up. Kids will love looking for the fox’s tricky antics.

Themes/topics: Adventure, persistence, nature, animals, searching, tricksters

Sample text from two spreads:

Tread slowly over the ground. Foxes have keen hearing. You don’t want to startle them. Be sure to look for fox tracks. They’re like dog tracks, but sneakier.

Take a picture of a family of raccoons. They have bushy tails kind of like foxes. Put out more bait. Wait longer this time.