Fox's Garden (Stories Without Words)

Product Description One snowy night, a fox loses its way, entering a village. Chased away by the grown ups, Fox takes shelter in a greenhouse. A little boy sees this from his window. Without hesitating, he brings a basket of food to the greenhouse, where he leaves it for the fox. His gift is noticed and the night becomes a garden of new life, nourished by compassion and kindness. Princesse Camcam's cut-paper illustrations, along with the beautiful lighting of the sets she creates, make the experience of looking at these illustrations both touching and transcendent. Their beauty and essential simplicity reflect the beauty of the story. The reader is left charmed by the fox and the child and thoughtful about the emotional lives of both humans and other creatures. Princesse Camcam was born in Paris in 1982 as Camille Garoche. Having spent her childhood in southwest France, she left to study the graphic arts at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Cergy. She created her first illustrated book in 2006 and has been living in Germany since 2007. From School Library Journal PreS-Gr 1—In this wordless picture book, a fox enters a small town, looking for shelter. She is chased away by villagers but eventually finds refuge in an abandoned greenhouse. A little boy finds the fox and gives her and her newborn pups a basket of food. The fox family then returns the kindness by planting a magical garden inside the boy's room while he sleeps. The story is brief and simple enough for toddlers, but the beauty of its artwork will capture a much wider audience. Camcam's cut-paper illustrations add to the mystical elements of the work. The boy's bedroom is particularly impressive, with three-dimensional furniture and detailed toys; every item in the room looks as fragile and delicate as the wonderful magic that the fox has given to the boy. The panoramic style of the pictures makes this title ideal for a lap-sit storytime, and it will be a delight to read and to share.—Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI Review A 2015 USBBY Outstanding International Book “Have you ever read a picture book multiple times, enjoying it with each and every read, and then find later that it was wordless . . . and you didn’t even notice? Now THAT is the mark of an effective title . . . You could easily see this book adapted into a ballet or similar wordless format. It’s a naturally beautiful tale . . . Let’s examine that word for a second. Beautiful. I don’t use it enough when I’m describing picture books. It’s not the kind of word you should bandy about for no reason. If I called every other book “beautiful” it would diminish the importance of the word and I couldn’t use it when something as truly stunning as this. It’s the kind of book that doesn’t feel like anything else you’ve seen or read. True and lovely and entirely unique. A book to borrow and a book to own."― Elizabeth Bird, Fuse8, School Library Journal ★“Flowing lines and subtle shifts of hue add visual grace notes to this wordless tale of gifts exchanged between a boy and a fox.”― STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews ★“Camcam creates her images by assembling cut-paper dioramas, which are then lit and photographed. The resulting images possess a subtle dimensionality while the story exudes a haunting winter magic and a strong sense of the way a small kindness can make an enormous difference.”― STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly “A gentle reminder that life can be a cold wasteland of cruelty or a whimsical wonderland of grace, depending on the generosity of spirit with which we approach it.”― Brain Pickings “The Fox’s Garden has surprises throughout the story that hold the reader’s attention. This kind of detail is an ideal mentor to help draw out more style and voice from young writers.”― Two Writing Teachers "The gorgeous cut-paper images are infused with light and then photographed, and help to show true compassion in this story of generosity and heart. "― Sal's Fiction Addiction "This is a