Fox and Bird is an interesting story with stunning illustrations, and a unique narrative that is poetic and symbolic.

The first thing that stands out for this book is the wonderful illustrations, they are truly beautiful and set the tone for this unique book. The blues and greens are lovely and set a melancholy tone that suits the narrative. Illustrator Alice Lindstrom works in paper collages and uses cut and paste techniques according to her website here – and the end result is stunning.

Now, the narrative in this story is really interesting and unique, and at first I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. A book about a fox and a bird, I thought it would be about simple and sweet and adorable. But this book is much deeper than that – it is more poetic and symbolic. The story begins with the fox who is lonely and ‘does strange things’. These strange things is mostly doing everything the bird tells him to do.

Fox does everything bird tells him until he has enough and says no, and then proceeds to tell the bird to do everything, which the bird does. My first read through I was a little confused as to what was going on and unsure how to take this poetic meaningful story.

The book ends with happiness, and upon re-reading I actually really enjoyed it. I think it works well as a conversation starter for children, and will definitely suit an older audience. The visuals are really stunning and I will be keeping an eye out for more work from this illustrator. To be honest, I am still a little unsure about the narrative and how it will be received by children, but I liked the melancholy style. It definitely doesn’t follow a traditional story line, and is innovative in its approach. Ultimately, it is enjoyable and unique and really quite thought provoking.

I felt like this book was quite a journey, from being blown away by the beautiful illustrations, and drawn into the story with the short punchy lines, to the interesting relationship between the fox and the bird, and the abrupt ending. I kind of wish there was another page or two to explain further. But ultimately, this is an enjoyable and intriguing read for older kids.

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Title: Fox and Bird

Author and Illustrator: Edwina Wyatt and Alice Lindstorm

Publisher: Little Hare Books (imprint of Hardie Grant)

Published: 2019

Ages: 4 – 8

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