Foxy!

Foxy is a wheeler-dealer who, by making various dupes promise not to look into his sack while they mind it for him, artfully fires their curiosity. Foxy knows that his victims won’t be able to resist a peek, and their weakness is all part of his cunning plan. In no time, he ups the ante exchanging a bee for a rooster, a pig for a boy and so on. Of course the sly thing is outwitted in the end, by a fierce dog who chases him away, leaving the boy with the woman in that unquestioning and comforting way which folk tales invariably possess.

It’s always pleasing to revisit old tales as they have such simplicity and drive with their building blocks of cumulative plot, repetitive phrases and anticipation. And the deviousness in this one is sure to tickle the funny bone of little ones, with its naughty build-up adding to the pleasure. The folksy illustrations, with bold cut-out shapes on white backgrounds make an excellent use of the white spaces and shape of the pages as do the strong earthy colours. Reminiscent of the old printed versions of these tales, it’s not surprising that Jessica Souhami is the daughter of Russian Immigrants, or that she had a touring puppet company which told old tales, for these influences are self evident in her work.  This book would make a welcome addition to any bookshelf or classroom.