There's the moon.
That's better.
And there's more light ahead.
Fox creeps forward.
What's that?
A mouse!
But the mouse is too fast
for Fox."
In this third book in the A First Science Storybook series, author Martin Jenkins and artist Richard Smythe use a young fox in her search for food to help their target audience understand the concepts of light and dark.
As she emerges from her den, the hungry fox is faced with bright sunlight, a lot of morning action, and many people. Not wanting to be discovered she returns to the darkness of the den. Later, she is even hungrier and the people have gone. Darkness has descended. She is ready to hunt, and her sharp eyesight will be an asset. Moonlight helps as well, and soon she spots a mouse. The mouse proves elusive. The fox must look elsewhere. As she searches, she faces a surprise and other obstacles to her understanding and safety.
Using her keen sense of smell she finally finds something to eat. Her search has come to an end. She returns to her den by the light of the moon.
While focusing on the fox and her search, the premise of the book is to educate young readers about light and dark. To that end, the simple language and visual awareness of the many types of light found in the dark of night provide an appealing learning experience for little ones. The mixed media illustrations effectively portray shadows, beams of light, and the differences between day and night.
Discussion suggestions for adult readers in frontmatter, and questions to ponder in backmatter are useful, as is a simple index which helps in understanding how information books work.
The first two books in the series are Squirrel's Busy Year and Bird Builds a Nest. Caterpillar and Bean is due in April. Check for them at the library or in your local bookstore.
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