A Fox Found a Box

In wintry watercolors and colored pencil drawings, Adamson (Douglas, You’re a Genius!) tells the Zen-like story of a group of forest creatures who learn to listen deeply. While searching for food beneath the snow, Fox unearths a “box” (a little blue radio). At first, the object flummoxes Fox and the other creatures. They fiddle with the antenna and dials until, with a “click,” the box begins to emit noises, which Adamson visualizes with music notes and colorful instruments. The animals “swish their tails, flap their wings, and move their feet,” feeling by turns “dreamy,” “sort of sad,” and the urge to “ROCK OUT.” When one day the radio stops playing, the critters mourn the singing box, then awaken to the sounds of the forest: “the whoosh-whoosh of the wind,” “the gurgle-gurgle of the river.” Before long, they’re noticing and appreciating sights, smells, even the experience of catching snowflakes on their tongues. Adamson’s joyful scenes emphasize the quiet contentment to be found in nature, issuing a call to pay attention, technology in hand or no. Ages 3–7. [em](Oct.) [/em]