A new home for Fox
Written by Ellen DeLange
Illustrated by Agnes Ofner
Story behind the story
Just imagine if you're in trouble and the people you ask for help judge you on prejudices only.
It's like you have to prove over and over again that you are a good person. This concept sparked the idea to write a picture book about how it could feel if you're turned down just because of that.
About the illustrator
Agnes Ofner is an author and illustrator, based in Vienna. She grew up in a small village in the South of Austria. There she roamed through the forests, stayed up late to read books and thought up stories. Later she moved to Vienna to study languages and graphic design to pursue her goal of creating books for a living. Agnes has since worked with different publishers. Her first novel „Nicht so das Bilderbuchmädchen“ won the Austrian Young Adult Literature prize. She dreams of one day having a dog (soon!) and moving to the sea (maybe not so soon). Coincidentally foxes are her all time favorite animal.
International publications
'A new home for Fox' is (will be) available in:
Dutch (01/2021)
English (2021)
Danish (2021)
Bahasa, Indonesian (2021)
Reviews
A New Home for Fox is a very cute story about a fox who seeks his way back home after being chased by some dogs. While asking animals in the forest about where he is, something unexpected happens and leads the animals to review their judgement on Fox. I really enjoyed this story and actually think this is books such as this one that children should read. I love that Ellen DeLange encourages children to get to know people that they meet before making a judgement upon them. I love the moral of this story, especially since we live in a world where we tell children to beware of everybody, and by doing so, prejudices are created towards certain groups of people. Plus, I found the drawings super cute—but that wasn't a surprise, since I already love the drawings of Go out and Play, also published by Clavis Publishing. A New Home for Fox is visually so enjoyable that I am sure that children will love this book! At least, I would totally encourage parents to buy and read it to their children, because I think that this story is not only very actual but also very thought-provoking!
Elisatlfsse - Goodreads 5*****
Whether moving across town, to another country/state/province/shire it is a terrifying thing regardless of if you are running from an enemy or simply moving house. And there are no new friends yet because others are wary of you, just like for fox. For fox there was an episode of bravery that changed things, for someone else it might be knowing something different and sharing it. A good lesson for all of us and written simply and clearly which makes it well suited for ESL. Then the is the matter of the illustrations! They are more than apt, very well drawn, and the colors do impress! Loved it and want one for my local library!
Jan - Goodreads 5*****
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