Scary Stories For Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker

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Justification

While this is another book that leans more towards middle grade than for younger audiences, it is a nice collection of creepy-scary short stories that center around two fox kits, Mia and Uly. At times, it is painful to read (the abuse that Uly faces from his father and siblings) and disturbing (an encounter with a Beatrix Potter than involves taxidermized animals). This would be a good add to any collection for those students who like scary tales. It is not something I would recommend to sensitive animal lovers.

Evaluation

Illustrations: The illustrations and hauntingly beautiful and fit very well with the text. Each tale is accompanied by an illustration with the short story title in verso. The illustrations are simple black and white, but again are well suited to a collection of scary stories. While there is always an illustration with the title of each short story, not all the chapters of each story have illustrations. The chapters that do have illustrations are well served--such as the creepily rendered taxidermized Mr. Tod.

Plot: The stories are well written and the plot moves quickly. The fact that the collection of stories are all related to the same two characters is helpful in building the overall story arc. 

Characters: Mia and Uly are adorably niave, which is to be expected for two fox kits that are not yet grown. They develop quickly however, due to a number of naturally occurring events. Mia's littermates all succumb to rabies and Mia's mother moves quickly to save her last remaining kit. Through her adventures, Mia learns what it means to be a fox and a wild animal--sometimes you are at the top of the food chain and other times, you aren't. Uly is a fox with a leg that did not fully develop, which led his mother to take her litter away from Uly's father. Through their combined story, we see them develop into wily young survivors who learn to value and understand each other.

Conclusion

Ultimately, I would include this in a middle grade collection. It's a fun collection to have for those student who are interested in scary stories. With a happy ending for all, it will satisfy even the sensitive animal lovers like myself who had a difficult time finishing. It shows the importance of confidence in yourself and having the ability to trust and rely on others, which are great lessons for young readers.

Citation

Heidicker, C. M., & W. J. (2019). Scary Stories for Young Foxes. New York: Henry Hold & Company.