Title: Little Foxes
Author: Michael Morpurgo
Major Themes: Foxes, England, Foster Children
Synopsis: Billy had never felt love until he found an orphaned fox, so when the fox was threatened, he did the only thing he could do.
A few months ago, I picked up the book War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo, when a friend recommended it to me at a used book sale we were perusing together. I had never read any books by him, but she said it was good. Several weeks later, I went to a secondhand shop and saw Little Foxes, so I decided to check it out, as well. Both books went onto my pile to read before adding them to the shelves in our library, since I didn’t know anything about them. I was delighted to figure out that both of them would fit into a reading challenge I participated in—I needed two books by the same author for it!
Publisher’s description:
Born into a world where it seems no one wants him, Billy Bunch escapes whenever he can to the sanctuary of his secret ‘wilderness’ on the edge of the estate where he lives. Here he can be alone, and here at last he finds his first friends, a battered swan and an orphaned fox cub. But his secret hiding place is discovered, and he is forced to run away. Hunted and hounded, Billy and his fox share the same instinct—to run, to hide, to go to earth.
My thoughts:
I felt a lot of different things while I read Little Foxes. Compassion for Billy, disappointment and irritation with the foster mother he lived with, annoyance with the people who just wanted to see the foxes killed, fear when Billy and the fox ran away.… This book is full of feelings! It explores the mind of a boy who has never known love, who has never had a friend. What happened to him when he found a friend, something to love—and then that was threatened? Would he be able to let go later, when that friend needed freedom? The one thing that gave me a little pause was the symbolism of a swan that showed up at key points in what felt like a spiritual sense. Despite that, this is a very good story and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more books by this author.
WARNING: Several animals are killed and more threatened.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
Leave a Reply