Synopses & Reviews
Life proclaimed this long-unavailable classic the "first authentically colloquial and breezily American nursery rhyme" when it was published in 1971. Now it is back for new generations to enjoy!
All of Clyde Waterson's verses have what School Library Journal calls the "foot-stomping rhythm of an American square dance call." Some feel cozy and nostalgic; others are silly. Many evoke the pleasures of changing seasons. But they all keep readers and young listeners entertained, page after page. Wendy Watson's fully imagined and finely detailed pictures of the splendid fox family, at home and on joyous outings, will make children giggle. As The New York Times Book Reviewexplains, "Put it all together -- rhymes and pictures -- and the book is like a breath of fresh air."
About the Author
"I grew up on a farm in Vermont with seven younger brothers and sisters. Every morning my brother Peter and I went out to the barn and did our chores. My very favorite job was feeding the baby goats their bottles of milk. After we had our own breakfast, it was time for school-but I never left the house! Instead, I sat down at the big dining room table in front of the fireplace, with my books and pencils, and did what my mother told me, because she was my teacher.
"School at home was fun and interesting and did not take as long as school in a school building. I usually finished my work by lunchtime, and in the afternoon there were always exciting things to do with my brothers and sisters. We went exploring in the woods and pastures around our farm, or down to the river to fish. We liked to swim in the summertime and sled and ski and skate in the wintertime.
"If I wanted to be by myself, I could curl up with a book or go upstairs in our big house to visit my father's studio. That was where I found out what it was like to be an illustrator, because that is what my father was.
"In the evening, after we had fed the house cats and dogs, we all sat down and ate our own supper. That was usually a noisy time! Everyone wanted to talk at once. But when bedtime came, the house was finally quiet, and the only sound was the squeaking of the mice who lived in the walls.
"When I grew older, I went away and lived in the city for a while. But when my two children were small, I moved back to the country, and that is where I now live. All around me are the animals who have always been my special friends: chickens and pigs, mice, chipmunks, squirrels and birds, woodchucks, rabbits, foxes, beavers and porcupines. When I take a walk each day with my dog, I see the places where small creatures live and carry on their daily lives, and I try to put that in all of my books. And I also try to put in all that I have learned about what it is like to be alive in this exciting world."