The Fox and the Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith. Penguin Books| November 2015| 128 pages | $20.00| ISBN: 9780143108672
RATING: ****/5*
Detailed drawings, an exquisite cover design, thick quality pages and a beautiful layout make this quite the gorgeous book. It looks and feels like a classic, quality book. Artist and author Coralie Bickford-Smith illustrates classic books and book covers for Penguin’s hardcover classic series. The Fox and the Star is a charming story about a solo fox and the star that guides him through the forest. With the star illuminating his way, the fox does the things that foxes do: forages for food; runs among rabbits; plays in the rain. It’s G-rated so no bloody catches or devouring of the rabbits. The fox subsists as a kind vegetarian in this story. Bickford-Smith uses etching and a blocking style that reminds me of embossing or stamps on wooden blocks. Black, white, grays and vibrant orange for the fox. It starts out: “Because Fox was small and the trees reached far higher than the tips of his ears, he was timid, and afraid to stray far from his den.” Later on “Star would light the way for Fox as he foraged for beetles and ran wild in the tangled thorns.” A pretty fable about resilience and one’s fears perfect to read to and with children.
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for review from Penguin.
ENTERTAINMENT REALM 
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