This adorable little hardcover has been eyeballing me from across the bookstore ever since I started working there. I have a perfect view of its display from my spot behind the counter and this past Sunday, I finally decided to break the ice and get acquainted.
I’ve never read anything by George Saunders before so I went into this with zero expectations. I like foxes (if you couldn’t tell) and I felt like a short story would really hit the spot.
Here I shud say, all my life, I have had kwite curative day-dreems. They wud just come upon me. And I wud enjoy them. With some favrits being:
Some Yumans heer me speeking Yuman so gud they give me some Chiken, and I sit rite at there Table. And they go: How is it being a fox?
And I go: Fine.
And they go: Foxes are our favrit animal
And I go: Thanks.
And they go: Why o why were we so stupid as to choose Dogs for our mane pets?
And I go: I reely don’t know.
Fox 8 is a little odd compared to the rest of his pack. He has taken up an interest in learning to speak “Yuman” by sitting outside a house and listening to a Yuman mother read bedtime stories to her Yuman pups. His forest is being taken over by construction and his pack is going hungry. He uses his proficiency for language to try and save them and to give a warning to us Yuman readers about our impact on the environment.
I really really enjoyed this story and I can’t wait to start recommending it to people in the hopes that they will get as much out of it as I did. It’s been a while since I’ve read something so very unique and memorable. The writing in this story takes a bit of time to get used to (it’s “written” by a fox who cannot spell most things correctly) but in the end I think it just makes some of the statements that much more heartwarming.
If you’re looking for a little gift for those environmentally-conscious animal lovers in your life, this story is a great choice!
A Professional Bookdragon 