The Fox and the Crow

PreS-Gr 1—Subramaniam's adaptation of this Aesop tale is poetic ("When dusk falls, they arrive, raucous, clamping their feet on the wires in a many-pronged attack."). Crow steals a loaf of bread from a baker and flies up into a tree to eat it. But before he can take his first bite, the appearance of a red fox catches his eye ("Their eyes meet, a challenge is spoken."). Fox tricks the crow into singing a song, and the bread falls from his beak into the fox's mouth, leaving the crow with hurt feelings and an empty stomach. Rendered with a dark palette, the full-page illustrations include beautiful close-up paintings of the fox, the crow, and a few other nocturnal creatures, including an owl. The forest at night is shadowy and dim, but the full moon illuminates the drama happening among the tall trees. Although there is no back material about the original story, this version would be a welcome addition to folktale collections.—Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada