The Fox and the Wild By Clive McFarland

This is Fred.

He was born in the middle of a big city.

Fred finds life in the city hard. It's smoky. It's noisy, and it's very, very fast.

Published by Templar in June 2016

Pages - 40 

Summary From Templar Publishing

Fred is a city fox. The city is a scary place for a fox like Fred. It's noisy, it's smoky and it's often dangerous.

One day Fred sees a flock of birds flying away over the city roofs. "Where do they go?" he wonders. And so he sets off to find the wild. All the other city animals say that there is no such place, but Fred know better or does he?

The Fox and the Wild is a new picture book from Clive McFarland, writer and illustrator of A Bed for Bear (HarperCollins). Illustrated in bold, collage-based graphic style, this is an animal adventure with an environmental message.

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Review by Liss Norton

This picture book tells the simple story of Fred, an urban fox, who wants to find his way to the countryside. He searches and searches and finally finds himself in a wonderful place of greenery, soft ground and fresh air. Hooray for Fred! Not only that, but there's a brand new foxy friend waiting for him…

The book is illustrated in a bold, modern style and there are lots of things to talk about in the pictures, including the ways in which Fred looks different from his cousins and his new friend. The language is simple, making it perfect for young children. 

For those about to embark on a move from town to countryside, this book is an absolute winner as it paints the city as bad and the 'wild' as good. If you're planning a move in the opposite direction though, I'd advise you to give this book a miss!