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!