Fox Faces Classroom Traumas in Fox At School

Usually when we see Fox, the main character in a series of easy-to-read books by James Marshall, he is at home with his sarcastic mom and his troublesome but adoring little sister Louise or carousing somewhere with his buddies Dexter, a pig, and Carmen, a frog. We see all those characters in Fox At School, but because the school is the setting of each story, the most prominent secondary character is Fox's teacher Miss Moon, who is a cow.

In Fox on Stage, Fox is ecstatic to have won the lead in the class play. Now all the girls will go gaga over him! Unfortunately, he is so busy daydreaming and accepting adulation that he fails to prepare properly for practice, resulting in great embarrassment. I'm not sure whether this book came before or after Fox On Stage; I'm thinking before, because in that book, he seems to be a little more diligent about learning his lines. Incidentally, I'm amused by the fact that Fox exclaims "Hot dog!" in this story, as well as in the last. What a dorky thing to say... Mr. Rosso would be proud.

In Fox Escapes, Fox's fear of heights comes to haunt him again when the class must participate in a fire drill. We often had fire drills in school, but they never involved sliding down a chute from the second floor. It sounds fun. It sounds exciting. But it's not something Fox wants to do, and it turns out it's not something Miss Moon particularly wants to do either, so the two manage to have a bit of a bonding experience, perhaps improving their relationship after the disastrous play. This story also introduces the principal, a mean-looking pig with thick glasses, beady eyes, big buck teeth and an ugly brown suit. He looks like a guy students wouldn't want to cross.

Fox In Charge wraps up the volume. Once again we find him babysitting, though in this case it's for his fellow classmates, since his teacher has put him in charge for a few minutes. It's unclear whether this is because she trusts him or because word got around to her that Fox wants to be a teacher because he thinks it's easy and she wants to teach him a lesson. Frankly, with all of Fox's misadventures in looking after youngsters, I can't imagine why he would want to be a teacher and certainly don't know what gave him the idea that it was a simple job. He starts out smug as usual, but I end up feeling sorry for him before too long, since he's in the biggest class full of hooligans since Sister Mary Clarence's music class in Sister Act 2. His buddy Dexter is the worst one of all. Is there any way to get out of this disaster?

I miss Fox's always funny mom here, as she only shows up on one page, but Miss Moon fills the authority role nicely. Aside from the first story, Fox isn't quite as obnoxious here as he often is, which is a bit of a relief, and getting a glimpse of his school life is a nice change of pace for those who are fond of James Marshall's wily young protagonist.

Can Anyone Outclass Fox in Cleverness?

The other day, I sat back and enjoyed Herbie Goes Bananas, a film starring my all-time favorite vehicle, that lovable little Volkswagen beetle with a mind of his own. When I glanced at the cover of Fox Outfoxed, part of the James Marshall series for early readers about a self-involved fox who's always getting himself into trouble, I couldn't help but think of Herbie. The picture is of Fox literally flying down the sidewalk in a homemade car painted red with an angry, sharp-toothed mouth. It would seem that Fox is in a race. It soon becomes apparent that in this small-time tournament, he is not Jim Douglas, Herbie's talented driver, but Peter Thorndike, Jim's nemesis, who resorts to extremely dubious tactics in order to win races.

In A Faster Fox, after watching his friends building cars so they can race them for a grand prize of a candy store shopping spree, Fox decides to build his own vehicle. His little sister Louise offers to lend a helping paw, and at first he shoos her away, but then he realizes that with some ingenuity and some sisterly aid, that shopping spree might just be within easy reach. Fox is a real twerp in this story, though he's worse in the third tale. His unethical behavior here is rewarded accordingly, though, so children won't likely be inspired to attempt cheating based on his example. In fact, I would say his experience is a very effective deterrent, though the lesson is imparted with humor, particularly in the droll illustrations, rather than heavy-handedness.

Comic Fox makes me sad. Fox is extremely fond of comic books, as we see in the picture in which he sits surrounded by massive piles of them. He is unmoved when his mom teases him about his obsession, but then his pretty neighbor Lulu catches him out front reading his ten favorite comics. And her teasing is a little harder to take, so he pretends he was just on his way to toss them out, leading her to snatch them, supposedly for her little brother. Fox learns a lesson about the value of swallowing his pride while discovering he might not be the cleverest trickster in the neighborhood.

The book ends with Fox Outfoxed, in which Fox, wearing a hideous homemade costume, is forced to let Louise tag along with him and his friends while they go trick-or-treating. Louise is the trickster here, and she gives him the scare of his life after he ditches her on a park bench. My favorite aspect of this story is Louise's costume. She's dressed as a pumpkin, and all we can see is her legs, arms and tail. She's absolutely adorable, especially when she's sitting on that bench, as forlorn as a pumpkin can look. What I don't like is the way Fox's friends goad him into mistreating Louise on their trick-or-treating expedition. Fox is a jerk in this story, but his Dexter and Carmen are worse.

Fox is a sly young devil, but in this book, his tricks backfire on him on three different occasions. While his antics are amusing, they also carry a warning that children would be wise to heed. Even the cleverest among us can sometimes be outfoxed.

Fox's Showing Off Usually Doesn't Pay Off

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of discovering James Marshall's Fox books. Unfortunately, I soon exhausted my library's supply, but now, thanks to Inter-Library Loan, I've been able to reacquaint myself with the feisty fox with the obvious name. In Fox Be Nimble, the incorrigible creature is up to all his old tricks with three stories focusing on his flair for the over-dramatic.

The first stories, Fox Be Famous, is longer than the other two put together and involves a disastrous day of reluctant baby-sitting, a theme Marshall revisits throughout the series. Usually it's Fox's sister Louise who needs to be looked after, but in this case, it's a trio of neighboring bears. I don't know if the Ling family is unique to this book, but I've never encountered them before. We don't really learn anything about them as individuals - even their names - but there are two girls, one with brown fur and one with gray, and one boy, who has white hair. This seems suspect to me, since bears of the same species don't tend to have such dramatic variations in color, but if I can accept a fox who wants to be a rock star, I suppose I can accept bears of three different colors in the same family.

Oh, yes, a rock star. Fox wants to be famous. That's how the story starts, with him showing off his skills to an admiring Louise. He's so sure that babysitting is so beneath him, he refuses to obey his mother's instructions to go, and when that fails, he leaves the bears to their own devices. That's a problem, though, because if one little sister is a heap of trouble, imagine what three rambunctious bears can do! Fox does get a dose of fame in this story, but not of the sort he expected. This is a very funny tale.

Fox the Brave is a sarcastic title because Fox makes a huge fuss when he scrapes his knee after tripping on one of his own skates. He demands a doctor, which Louise summons while his mother chides him for being so silly. After making the call, Louise takes a terrible tumble on one of Fox's remaining skates and is laid up as well, with even more serious injuries than Fox. But how will she react to her misfortune? I find this story even funnier than the first because Fox is just so eager to feel sorry for himself, as we see in the illustrations where his eyes are slanted in displeasure and his tongue is lolling in misery. His mom, who sees right through him, is entertaining too, and Louise helps the tale come to a clever conclusion.

Fox on Parade is the weakest of the stories, I think, though it's still good. Fox keeps getting into trouble at band practice because he's always showing off with his bugle. His teacher, a gruff-looking alligator in a beret, finally gets fed up and tosses him out of class, where he meets up with his friend Raisin, who shows him another way he might distinguish himself in the upcoming parade. One element I missed in this story was Mrs. O'Hare, who has complementary comical run-ins with Fox and Louise in the first two stories. It looked like it was a running joke, but then it was dropped, which left me feeling a bit unfulfilled. Also, Fox is basically rewarded for his self-centeredness rather than having any negative consequences, as he does in the first two stories.

Overall, though, this book is another worthy installment in the Easy-to-Read series. Between the terse writing style and the cartoonish, comical illustrations, Fox Be Nimble is quick to tickle the funny bone.

No Sense in Avoiding This Nonsense

When I think of James Marshall, poetry usually doesn't come to mind. After all, he was a master of weaving a few brief sentences into an engaging story. Prose was his forte. But in Pocketful of Nonsense, he tried his hand at a few limericks - five, to be exact, a fourth of the poems contained in this collection.

Marshall's short verses are perfectly entertaining, in good company with classic poems about diners with mice in their stew and peanuts lolly-gagging about on railroad tracks. The word "nonsense" really does apply to most of the entries, and they are rendered even more bizarre by Marshall's colorful illustrations, which display, as always, his wry sense of humor.

Thus we get Cinderella, star of the jump-rope rhyme in which she "went upstairs to kiss her fella, / made a mistake and kissed a snake," puckering up with closed eyes and plump lips while the snake in her embrace glares at her, grossed out. We get, in a Marshall original, a bulldog who literally "watches his weight" looking perplexed at his girth while he licks his plate clean. In another of his, we see cheerful Antoinette coming in from the beach, her vision obstructed by a very strange something that causes her mother to comment, amused, "You're simply not like other girls."

As a collection of poetry, Pocketful of Nonsense strikes me as pretty short, especially considering the fact that few of the offerings exceed five lines. I would think it could have been at least twice as long - but then I suppose the "pocket" might not be such an appropriate word to employ. Some of the pairings are quite amusing, while others fall flat, making for a book that is a bit uneven overall and probably too short. It's not the finest of Marshall's works, but it's fun to see a slightly different side to his writing. You'll likely get some laughs out of Marshall's nonsense. It's just a shame there aren't a few more to be had.

A Moose and a Snail Form an Unusual Friendship

James Marshall is famed for stories featuring a wide array of colorful creatures, from hippos and bears to foxes and pigs. In The Guest, we get a marvelously mismatched pair: a moose and a snail.

The moose, oddly enough, is gray, which isn't a color I imagine on a moose. Not only is she gray, her antlers are gray, which threw me off so much that I couldn't be sure of her species until I peeked at the summary on the page containing publication information. However odd her coloration, then, Mona is a moose, and one day her life changes drastically when a tiny snail named Maurice with a gray body and pink shell comes to call. Although they are vastly different in size, Mona and Maurice enjoy one another's company so much that the snail sticks around.

Marshall shows us several pages of Maurice trying to take part in Mona's moosey activities. Mostly he manages remarkably well, helping her to bake, answer the telephone, mow the lawn... But his favorite job is playing hide and seek with her, a game at which he certainly has the advantage. Yes, Mona and Maurice make a great pair. But one day, Maurice simply isn't there for breakfast in the morning, and Mona doesn't know what to do. Can her friend really be gone for good?

The Guest is a cute story, if not quite as laugh-aloud funny as many Marshall books. The silliness comes in with the illustrations, which show just how ill-suited a tiny hand-less snail is to the pursuits of a much larger creature. When compared with George and Martha, Mona and Maurice are just a bit bland, but their tale of friendship, with Marshall's distinct drawings and terse narrative style, is still one worth reading.

Red Riding Hood Shows a Little Less Creativity Than Most James Marshall Books

James Marshall is one of my favorite author-illustrators. Coupling masterfully clever, brief tales with wickedly witty illustrations, he left a legacy of dozens of books. Most are original stories, but some tackle the classics. His take on Goldilocks and the Three Bears is hilarious, mostly because of the zany, richly detailed illustrations. Red Riding Hood is amusing enough, but it doesn't quite live up to the gold Marshall standard.

Kind, considerate, naive Red Riding Hood lives with her mother on the edge of the deep, dark woods. When her mom whips up a delicious custard for Red's granny, who is feeling under the weather, the child is more than happy to make the trek through the forest to deliver the treat. Seeing her off are cats; I count at least nine of them, though there are probably more, as Marshall has them peeking out of just about every conceivable hiding place.

The cats are an addition, as is the fact that Granny is a voracious reader. It's also rather silly, I suppose, to have Red picking a bouquet of sunflowers for her grandmother, since they are such cumbersome flowers, and to show her being accosted by yet another dubious stranger after the whole wolf business is over with.

Generally, though, this strikes me as a pretty straightforward retelling of the story, with the text rarely deviating from the expected and the pictures, appealing as they are with the combination of ink and watercolor and Marshall's impressive artistic skills, offering few terribly surprising details. That's all well and good, but I'm so used to Marshall making me laugh out loud, I get a little disappointed when that doesn't happen.

Red Riding Hood is just as good a version of the fairy tale as any basic rendition, so go ahead and pick it up if you're in it for the story. But if you want an example of Marshall's sparkling humor, I'd look elsewhere.

Fox on Wheels Will Have You Rolling With Laughter

In Fox on Wheels, written by Edward Marshall and illustrated by James Marshall, the frisky young protagonist of several Dial Easy-to-Read books appear in conjunction with several types of wheels. Some - a bike and skateboard - are of the sort you would expect for a spunky lad, but others are less conventional and consequently more amusing. Over the course of three stories of about 15 pages in length, we get half a dozen different types of wheels and many laughs to go around.

Doctor Fox once again finds Fox looking after his troublesome little sister Louise. I'm guessing this book came shortly after Fox and His Friends; his expectant mom of that book is now a proud parents of four: Fox, Louise and a pair of newborn twins. She is equally preoccupied in this book, and as a result Fox must forgo fun with his friends in favor of Louise. Except he's not a very attentive baby-sitter, and Louise takes a tumble when he's not looking. Fox's attitude is irritating throughout the first half of this story, but following the mishap, he is genuinely remorseful, and it's nice to see him - in a series of touching half-page illustrations - take such great care of his sister. Even if she doesn't need quite as much care as she lets on...

In Fox and the Grapes, while bike-riding in the park, Fox is tempted by the bunch of grapes his friend Millie dangles from a branch high above his head. I feel sorry for Fox in this story because he's so frightfully afraid of heights. For all his bravado, he's actually a wimp in many situations. But he's also very stubborn, so he is determined to find a way to conquer his fear.

Mom's out to ruin Fox's fun again in Fox on Wheels. This time, she offers him options: watch Louise or go to the store. Fox goes for the latter and soon is glad, since his friends have been sent on similar missions. Maybe the grocery store can be fun after all! The calamitous pictures accompanying the store scenes are hilarious, but youngsters will probably be deterred from following suit by the marvelous end of this story. For when the fun he and his friends devise disrupts several shoppers, Fox soon falls victim to his mother's acerbic wit as she concocts the perfect punishment.

I really love Fox's mom, and she has a starring role in two of the three stories. That's certainly a reason Fox on Wheels is one of my favorite Fox books thus far. It isn't easy to keep such a rambunctious youngster in line, but she manages it with cleverness and humor. With her keeping an eye on him, Fox is sure to come out all right in the end. In the meantime, it sure it fun to laugh at his mis-steps...

Four on the Shore Is Never a Bore!

Having recently read several James Marshall books in which the main characters are foxes, frogs and pigs, it was a bit jolting to read Four on the Shore, which actually features human characters. There's Lolly, a tough girl with a green skirt, purple shirt and red headband who reminds me of Lucy from Peanuts. There's Sam, who sports a red-and-white striped shirt rather like the one Bert wears in Mary Poppins and a green fishing hat with his name on it. They are friends with Spider, an easy-going lad in a yellow turtleneck as sunny as his disposition, and are annoyed because his boisterous little brother Willie, whose red shirt and cap perhaps signify his devilish streak, won't let them do their homework in peace.

Their solution? Meet later, at the lake, so they won't have to put up with Willie. Though Spider defends his brother, he agrees to their plan, which I can't say is a good one, because I don't know how they're supposed to do their homework in the dark, even by the light of a campfire. It's no great surprise when Willie tags along with Spider anyway. At this point Sam and Lolly figure their only hope of productivity lies in scaring Willie into going back home, though Spider warns that his brother does not spook easily.

Each of the characters has an opportunity to tell a scary story, and the tales build upon one another. Lolly, for instance, weaves a morbid tale about a wolf, and Sam starts his story by backtracking and changing her ending so that its protagonist, who looks suspiciously like Willie, can have further adventures. Sam's story is my favorite of the four because its climax is so unexpected. I laughed aloud when I read what befell the Willie clone here; the basic plot is pretty much what you would expect, but the details are wonderfully random.

Spider claims to know just what will scare his brother, but I think he's holding out on his friends because he really doesn't want to traumatize Willie. So his tale is not particularly spine-tingling, and three stories later, the annoying little brother is still around. So encouraged by Spider, he tells a story. And what do you know? It's the scariest one of all...

I really like Spider because of the way he stands up for his brother, even though he's being a bit of a pain. I find his friends' intolerance aggravating, so it's nice to have the joke be on them in the end. Four on the Shore is a Dial Easy-to-Read, which means lots of short sentences that build up to short stories.

The illustrations are marvelous, more detailed and evocative than I expected. In one, Willie swings through a brown-leaved tree like Tarzan while Spider and his friends converse below. In another, a cross Lolly and Sam wait for Spider by a serene river, on the other side of which are lush pines and a glorious sunset behind a mountain. I also love the design of the witch's tower-like hut, and the climactic picture in that story is hilarious.

Four on the Shore is a nice break from Marshall's frequent anthropomorphism. In his hands, people are every bit as funny as foxes and hippos!

Seven Days of Fox is Seven Days of Fun

It's strange how quickly a week passes, and often at the end of it, recalling the events of each day is a difficult task. In Fox All Week, written by Edward Marshall and illustrated by James Marshall, something of significance happens to Fox every day. It may be a small event, but it's enough to make it worth noting, and reading of this young protagonist's daily exploits might make young readers more eager to point out the especially bright or dreary moments in their own days.

The book is one of a series of Dial Easy-to-Read books about an everyfox with an obvious name, his pesky little sister Louise, his sly mother and his friends, most notably a pig named Dexter and a frog named Carmen. While most of these entertaining books contain three stories of 15 to 20 pages in length, Fox All Week has seven, none of which exceeds 10 pages. Though they are very brief, however, that does not make the tales any less engaging.

In Monday Morning, Fox's week seems to be off to a bad start when rain dampens his hopes of a promised field trip. To add insult to injury, he feels a sore throat coming on. What a pain! At least it gets him out of school, and with this rotten weather, there can't be anything fun happening... Can there? I love the picture of a pajama-clad Fox glaring out at the rain with beady eyes and an irritation-induced unibrow. I've been there, my furry friend...

Tuesday's Lunch serves as an affirmation that picky eating is not an affliction known only to me. Fox, Dexter and Carmen reject their lunches of tuna fish sandwiches, a meal I lost my taste for years ago, probably once we got a cat and tuna fish began reminding me of canned cat food. But they must learn the hard way the consequences of going lunchless all through the day...

Wednesday Evening at the Library is an extra-short story with an extra-long title. Fox has a case of the giggles, which is a bad thing to have in a library. Miss Pencil, the librarian, does not approve, and she kicks Fox and his friends out. But what will she do with herself once she's all alone in such a solemn place?

In Thursday After School, Fox and his friends find a box of cigars, and Fox claims he smokes them all the time. But is his word to be trusted? I find this story rather gross, but the green-hued Dexter puffing away gives me the giggles.

The Friday Dinner provides the revelation that Mom - whose tongue sticks out in all but one illustration in this story - is not a good cook. Fox steps up to save the day. But what culinary concoction could merit such a racket in the kitchen?

The Saturday Visit amusingly illustrates Fox's reluctance to wear fancy clothes and his ability to be smitten by a pretty vixen. Both complicate a trip to see Grannie - apparently a different one than the silver-haired daredevil of Fox on Stage - on her birthday.

Sunday Evening introduces us to another friend, a fox named Raisin wearing a bag over her head to hide her new braces. Will her friends ridicule her ruthlessly, as she expects?

All of these situations have applicability to many children of an age to read this book on their own, and the writing is just as witty as it is brief, with colorfully silly illustrations to match. Fox is a laugh and a half all week long!

Fox Won't Be Named Employee of the Month Any Time Soon...

I've been getting a kick lately out of a grand new discovery: the series of Dial Easy-to-Read books about Fox, a mischievous youth who can't seem to avoid trouble even when he isn't looking for it. All the books are illustrated by James Marshall of George and Martha fame; some are written by him as well, while others bear the name of his cousin, Edward Marshall.

James gets the credit all to himself for Fox on the Job, an amusing collection of stories that, like Fox and His Friends, depict Fox in a position of reluctant responsibility. In this book, he shuffles between several jobs, looking for one that will stick long enough for him to pay for a new bike to replace the one he wrecked while showing off for the girls (in one of the book's most entertaining illustrations). In this small bit of set-up, those new to the series get a taste of his mother's no-nonsense parenting style and his somewhat strained relationship with his little sister Louise; the former forces Fox into action, while the latter is responsible for his most riotous occupational mishap.

In New Shoes, Fox tries his luck working as a shoe salesman. He assures the chicken who owns the shop that he is honest, but in this line of work, perhaps there is such a thing as being too honest. I'm fond of the picture showing Fox making a pyramid of shoes while his boss is on break; it's an artful and colorful project, but it's certainly not very utilitarian!

In The Haunted House, Fox doesn't even have to ask for his job as a ticket taker for a haunted house at an amusement park. He readily accepts the offer, but when it looks like Clark, little brother to his friend Carmen, has gotten lost inside, Fox isn't so eager to face those dark corridors, which his mustachioed boss promised were "very scary."

In Pizza Time, Fox takes over a pizza delivery job for his friend Dexter, who was fired for eating his deliveries before they reached their destination. Fox is especially diligent with this new task, but a run-in with Louise and her pet mice creates hilarious complications.

The Bright Idea concludes the book, as Fox, not quite ready to give up on his new bike yet, passes by a furniture store and is inspired to devise a clever plan that just might end his luckless streak. But can it really work?

Fox on the Job is funny, but it also teaches a good lesson about working for the things you want rather than just expecting a hand-out. Fox does seem rather young to be taking on such jobs; he can't be any older than eighth grade, yet he's walking into shops and getting hired immediately. But so much suspension of disbelief is required for a James Marshall book that this detail isn't much of a stretch. Entertaining and character-building, Fox on the Job gets a glowing evaluation from me.

Fox is a Fine Sort of Friend to Have

I've been enjoying the books of James Marshall for years, and I just happened upon his series of tales about a likable young fox and his friends and relations. Fox and His Friends is part of this series, though it was actually written by his cousin Edward, who collaborated with him on several projects. The light tone is consistent with other books in the series, which are included in the line of Dial Easy-to-Read books, and James' amusing illustrations perfectly complement the simple sentences.

In this book are three stories concerning Fox's interaction with his friends Dexter, Carmen, Junior and Betty, a pig, a frog, a dog and a crocodile. Poor Fox, having such an unimaginative name; even his little sister fares better with the name Louise. But at least there's no chance of us forgetting which one he is...

The first and longest story (20 pages as opposed to 15) is Fox in Trouble, in which Fox is irritated when his mother, who, judging by her expansive middle, is about ready to add another member to the Fox family clan, insists that he entertain Louise for the day. What's worse, none of his friends are available, so there's nothing for him to do but spend the day with his little sister as a tag-along, which is no easy task since she has a way of getting into mischief. Can Fox avoid the blame for the messes she gets herself into?

In Fox All Wet, poor Fox must look after Louise again, this time during his afternoon at the swimming pool. At least this time he has his friends to cheer him up, but they aren't much consolation when Louise climbs up to the tippy-top of a very tall ladder and threatens to jump from the diving board at the top. What's an older brother to do?

In Fox on Duty, Fox's responsibilities are of a rather different nature. This time, he doesn't have Louise to worry about. Instead, it's his job as a crossing guard, which he takes very seriously. When his friends come along and invite him to join them at the beach, Fox is tempted enough to go with them. But how will he silence that nagging conscience of his?

Fox and His Friends is an enjoyable book for early readers that entertains while also imparting valuable lessons about the conflict between recreation and responsibility. Three cheers for Fox!

Fox on Stage a Delight for Young Acting Enthusiasts

I am a great fan of James Marshall, the wickedly funny author-illustrator behind a charming series of vignettes about a pair of hippos named George and Martha. Recently, I've been getting acquainted with some of his other work, and it turns out he wrote just as many stories about foxes as hippos. One of these is Fox on Stage, which features three amusing stories to inspire aspiring young thespians and film-makers.

In Fox on Film, we meet Fox's spunky grandma, who injures herself skiing and consequently is bored out of her skull, forced to convalesce in a hospital bed when she could be out skydiving. In an effort to cheer her up, Fox makes a video for her, but when his friends declare it dull, he resorts to dubious tactics in order to create a film that will capture Grannie's fancy.

Next comes Flying Fox, the shortest of the stories, which finds Fox at a magic show with his buddies. Despite the opulent stage and his friends' insistence that this will be a remarkable show, the magic tricks fail to impress Fox - until his disagreeable response catches the attention of the magician, who decides to show this young skeptic just what sort of wonders he is capable of.

Finally, we have Fox on Stage, which presents the familiar situation of several kids putting on a play. Fox and his friends have much greater success than I ever did in securing an audience - and an audience willing to pay, at that - but what will happen when unforeseen complications arise, preventing a perfect production?

Fox on Stage is a part of the Dial easy-to-read series and is comparable to the I Can Read books in terms of length and difficulty. Despite the stories' brevity, they are witty and full of characterization, from Fox's slightly pesky but adoring little sister Louise to his sarcastic mom, who has little sympathy for Fox's complaints of boredom. The drawings are humorous and cartoonish; I especially enjoy the shot of Grannie Fox suspended upside-down in mid-air, skis on her boots and an irritated expression on her face.

This is the ninth of Marshall's Fox books, but the order in which you read them doesn't much matter. If you're looking for a good book for a child with a flair for the dramatic, Fox on Stage may be just the ticket.

Everyone is Good for Something, Sunbathing Alligators (or Crocodiles) Included

James Marshall is probably best known for his books about George and Martha, a pair of hippos who are very good friends. But he wrote quite a few books about a variety of different creatures, and Willis contains quite an array of animals within its pages. The titular character is an alligator - or is it a crocodile? Marshall never identifies his species for us, so we’re left to our own familiarity with reptilian biology on that one. Suffice it to say that Willis is a large, unhappy, scaly creature. Rather than lurking in a swamp as most of his species might be content to do, Willis insists on lounging on the beach. Unfortunately, his eyes aren’t so good, and they are extremely irritated by the sunlight. So instead of enjoying his exotic surroundings, he spends his days moping, and as the book opens, we find him dampening the sand with his salty tears.

 

Happily for him and us, three kind-hearted strangers happen upon him in his misery. The ring-leader is a large pink bird on a bicycle, and riding in baskets on either end are a snake and lobster, both green. Lobster doesn’t have much to say, fond as he is of going to sleep. Snake is a bit more talkative, and he’s very eager to help Willis purchase a pair of sunglasses for 29 cents so he can enjoy the beach like everyone else. But Bird is the real go-getter, and he has the logical idea that they should work to earn the remaining 19 cents, after the dime the snake has agreed to contribute.

What follows is a series of ridiculous mishaps as the new friends attempt several jobs, finding themselves hopelessly inept when it comes to each of them. Their disastrous efforts are amusing, as is the notion of buying something for 29 cents or being paid 19 cents for a grueling task. The illustrations are simplistic, flat and mostly limited to the same shades of pink, yellow and green. There is great whimsy in their lack of frills. I’m especially fond of one picture, in which we see Bird glaring disapprovingly down at Snake, who, with a pink ribbon around his neck, innocently hold a dime in his mouth as an offering to Willis to buy himself the comfort he seeks.

After all their misadventures, the friends wise up a bit by deciding to figure out just what it is that they are particularly good at. Unsurprisingly, Lobster announces that he excels at sleeping, and it’s rather logical that the Snake happens to be a good hypnotist. Willis and Bird have more unexpected talents, but each has something impressive to share, so they finally decide to earn the sunglasses by putting on a talent show (for which they build a stage, with no explanation as to where they found the money to do that…).

Willis is a story about perseverance and about making good use of your talents. But mostly, it’s the tale of four mismatched creatures who do a lot of silly things, and Marshall’s desire for kids to “laugh uncontrollably” when they read his books is likely to come to fruition as youngsters peruse the pages.