I was thinking Fox: A Circle of Life Story was going to be more about the cycle of trees, plants, the seasons, the forest and not about the cycle of life of a mother fox. Isabel Thomas created a poetic, beautiful story of life and death. We follow a fox as she wanders the woods, crossing the human road, and her unfortunate end. The concept of death is lightly presented, but also nothing is held back. It is a serious look at the cycle of life.
Due to the death of the animal and the way it dies, this book is not for a sensitive reader. It would be a perfect for a science class, even with the more romantic presentation. It also could be used to help talk about loss or the death of a non-pet animal seen by side of the road, in wooded areas, and so forth.
Daniel Egneus continues the imaginative elements with boldly colored illustrations. This kid friendly text is complimented with their kid friendly images. While this is a book about death, it is more than that. It is a tastefully presented work of art. This duo are also the creators of Moth: An Evolution Story. Both science-filled stories are clever and emotionally can cause a connection. While for older children, all ages can come away from these picture books with something. Adults as well can learn as well as enjoy the art of these books.
While researching about other tiles Thomas has done, I noticed they have several more traditional non-fiction science books and some historical biographies I might want to look into.
