Fox

Description

Margaret Wild tells the story of Dog and Magpie, who are friends and companions until Fox tempts Magpie away and then abandons her in the desert. It's a stark, uncompromising and deeply moving story, a fable that dramatises human strengths and weaknesses.

Margaret Wild is one of Australia's most highly respected and popular children's authors. She was born in South Africa and emigrated to Australia in 1972. Margaret has worked as a journalist and an editor of children's books, and is now writing full-time. Since her first book in 1984, Margaret has published over 40 books and has won numerous awards. Ron Brooks is one of the biggest names in Australian picture books.

In this powerful story about friendship, betrayal and courage, the language is beautifully spare and the illustrations are vibrant and haunting. The text, written with scratchy pen, creates an edgy atmosphere... Brooks's images grow out of Wild's careful language, and are perfectly in tune. The position of the spidery text sets the pace and tone of the story, and there is a strong sense of place, with rich, vegetable-like colours. The paper's surface is streaked and gouged with brush lines, scratches, and finely etched drawings. The animals, though stylized, are also thoroughly real. -- Julia Eccleshare 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up The scratchy sideways text adds to the wild elemental feel of the book, with its breathtaking earthy palette. A one-eyed dog rescues a crippled bird; sitting astride his back as he runs she becomes his eyes and he her wings. But then Fox comes to join themm in their cave and fills it with a 'smell of rage and envy and loneliness'. A masterpiece. Sunday Telegraph Try it, discover a classic, for this is undoubtedly an exceptional masterpiece. School Librarian This is a memorable example of the picture-book form. Ground-breaking and courageous, it has been translated into many languages. Although it is not a 'fun' read, both children andadults will be drawn into this compelling tale of friendship, loyalty, risk and betrayal. Ibby Link