I read Fox and Rabbit Make Believe by Beth Ferry and illustrated by Gergely Dudas solely because there was a fox on the cover and as the main character. I’m always on the lookout for new fox stories, which should really come as no surprise at this point. Thus, any time I happen upon one on NetGalley I have this rather unstoppable habit of requesting them. Unfortunately, for me, I really didn’t care much for Fox and Rabbit.
The overall story behind this chapter-styled children’s graphic novel was just so…dull. And, granted, I’m not its intended audience which is why I didn’t rate it lower, but I just felt like the story never really went anywhere. And perhaps my boredom comes as a result of my distaste for books that relate too much to what real-life would look like. But, honestly? Fox and Rabbit did nothing but wander around a park, make a new friend who had a bit of imagination, and imagine their day at the park as a new adventure.
I’ll give it this; Fox and Rabbit’s story is fairly realistic.
I imagine the events of this book are precisely what a day at the park is going to look like for your average child. But damn, did I find it boring. And I do wonder whether children would find it boring as well. Why not just have a story about an actual adventure instead of kids making up one? You’ve already got a fox, rabbit, owl, sparrow, and turtle all roaming the playground as friends…it’s not that far of a stretch.
I guess I’m just being picky.
The messages in this book aren’t bad.
In fact, encouraging imagination and the importance of building new friendships is a genuinely good message to send to children. I don’t have anything in particular against this book as far as it’s theme. I personally just hated the way that the theme was presented. It may as well have just been illustrated as kids that pretended they were a fox or a rabbit. It breaks my heart to say this about a book with a fox in it, but I honestly kind of just hated it.
There are saving graces, of course; the book sends good messages, the artwork is actually quite adorable, and it’s probably a story children will love. It’s not one that I would recommend or one that I would read to a child of mine, but it’s still a decent book in the end.
I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
🦊🦊🦊
| Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | Bloglovin’ | Facebook |
Reader Fox 