The Hungry Fox and the Foxy Duck (1978)

 The Hungry Fox and the Foxy Duck by Kathleen Leverich (1978) is one of many stories with a deceitful fox as a main character. Paul Galdone presents this fox in tattered clothing. It's jacket has patches at the elbows and is secured with a large safety pin. A patch covers a space on the knee of its pants. Both the cover art and title suggests the outcome: the fox looks frustrated and the duck is smiling. Duck lives "on a pond in a field with a fence all around." This text and the accompanying illustration foreshadow events to come. 

One day, a fox shows up and invites the duck to breakfast. This duck is unlike the naive ones I've encountered in other books. This duck smiles and request the fox find a table. "'How can we eat breakfast without a table?' she asked." When fox returns with a table, the duck as more requirements that take the pair through an entire day. At last, the fox is frightened away. Remember the setting? The solution to duck's problem is in the second page. 

Night is Coming (1991)

 Night is Coming by W. Nikola-Lisa (1991) is a story about the sights and sounds at dusk on a farm. The illustrations by Jamichael Henterly are stunning. It amazes me that such beautiful art is available at used book sales for just a few dollars.  The pictures save the bland text. We read about the whippoorwill's song, the smell of hay, the circling hawk, the setting sun. . . 

I Heard Said the Bird (1995)

 I Heard Said the Bird by Polly Berrien Berends (1995) is a unique twist on a story about a new baby sibling. I picked it up because of the cover art, which reminded me of the cover of Earthquack illustrated by Barry Moser. All of Brad Sneed's pictures remind me of Barry Moser. The bird on the cover of this story flies about a barnyard telling the animals "'there's  a NEW ONE coming.'" And so we see a cow, hen, horse, goose, duck, rabbit, pig, and so on. There's only one of each creature and there's very little text.  It's one of those books that make be wonder why the author's name appears above the artist's name. And then, a young boy walks into the barnyard and talks with the animals! He leads the animals to an open window through which then all gaze upon a baby in a crib. I like this kind of illustration, so I think this is a fun book to spend time with. 

Half a World Away (1988)

Half a World away by M.Twinn (1988) is a powerful story of compassion, action, and justice. Illustrations by Arlette Lavie consist of silhouettes which contributes to the book’s timelessness. Children in a land of plenty learn about a land half a world away in which children are sick and hungry. They react to the crisis. They demand that adults do something. “The parents, ashamed, understand at last. ‘You’re right. The time for selfishness is past.’” When enough people demand that the government send help, it does. “We must change the law. Our new policy shall be to help the poor!” With food, medicine, and technical assistance, the land a half a world away flourishes. It’s a story for our time. It’s a story for every time. 

I could not find this book listed anywhere except on Etsy. 

*Never Trust a Squirrel

*Never Trust a Squirrel by Patrick Cooper (1998) is a classic tale of a little creature, this time a guinea pig, venturing out into the world. A squirrel coaxes William out of his hutch to play. Despite his mother’s warnings, William tries playing games with the squirrel until a fox appears. The squirrel runs away up a tree and leaves William to fend for himself. His mother saves the day. Catherine Walters's pictures are perfect and the reason I made this one of my favorites. The scenery is full of wild flowers. The simple, furry faces of the squirrel and guinea pigs have expressions. The squirrel sticks its tongue out at the mother guinea pig as it scampers off with her son! A scene with the fox is truly frightening. 

Night and day (1985)

Night and Day by Catherine Ripley (1985) is the kind of story I never fully appreciated as a child. This entire book describes the forest as the site of hungry creatures hunting down one another for dinner. As an adult, these woods sound terrifying to me. Maybe it was illustrations like these by Debi Perna and Brenda Clark that created scenes of peaceful coexistence—in direct opposition to the text—that contributed to my delusion.  There’s no killing in the text, except for a woodpecker’s beak full of insects. But “Soon the meadow is full of many hungry animals.”  Although an owl closes in on prey, “The mouse jumps to safety just in time. . .Tonight, the owl will stay hungry.” Even the absence of death is distressing. All the animals except for the porcupine and rabbit appear to be carnivores. 

Night Noises (1989)

 Night Noises by Mem Fox (1989) is a story about Lily Laceby, an elderly woman who lives in an old cottage. She is "nearly ninety." One evening, Lily falls asleep in her cozy chair "by her fire, snug and warm, she drifted off to sleep and began to dream." Her dog, Butch Aggie, naps at her feet. Lily dreams of moments in hr life. The older I get, the more I love stories like this one. There are noises outside, and Lily doesn't hear them but her dog does. He dog gets progressively more alert and then defensive with each page turn. When a simple knock at the door doesn't wake Lily, people bang on the door and shout at the windows. Butch Aggie barks and barks. Finally Lily awakens and wonders who could be outside. The answer is a happy one. Terry Denton's illustrations are brightly colored and somewhat comic. They lighten the growing tension and he succeeds in portraying Lily at different times in her life.