The home of Mother Fox and her three babies is hidden by the roots of a tree stump in a long valley. In the beautiful fields around their home, Mother Fox cares for her children, who are so tiny they fit in the palm of a human hand. She brings them treats to eat, and she leads them to sit on the rocks in the sun.
But Mother Fox must always be wary because an old coyote shares their valley with them. Though he is lonely, the mean coyote searches for food rather than a friend. “After all, this is the way the world works.”
One day, Mother Fox takes her babies to the pond to search for food. There, while jumping and frolicking with the bullfrogs in the night, Mother Fox rolls on the ground shaking with laughter. In fact, she laughs so hard that she forgets about the hungry coyote. Soon, she finds herself snout to snout with her biggest fear. Knowing that they cannot run or hide from the coyote, Mother Fox uses her cunning mind to escape. With a little help from the moon and a trick of light, she saves her babies.
In this enchanting bilingual picture book, renowned author Victor Villaseñor casts a traditional folk tale about Mother Moon. Paired with bright and inventive illustrations, this story is a celebration of nature in all her beauty.
“A cautionary tale reminding little ones to stay near their mothers…a good nighttime treat.”—Southwest Book Views
“[This] is not only a worthy addition to earlier coyote stories, but also a pointed reminder of the cycle in the wild.”—Kirkus Reviews
VICTOR VILLASEÑOR is the author of Burro Genius: A Memoir (Rayo, 2004); Macho! (Arte Público Press, 2003), which was chosen by The New York Public Library for its distinguished list of Books for the Teen Age; Walking Stars (Piñata Books, 2003); Thirteen Senses (Harper-Collins, 2001); Rain of Gold (Arte Público Press, 1991); the non-fiction Jury: The People vs. Juan Corona (Little, Brown, and Company, 1977). He is also the writer of screenplays, most notably the award-winning The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez.
FELIPE UGALDE ALCÁNTARA was born in Mexico City in 1962. He studied Graphic Communication at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. He has been an illustrator and designer for fifteen years, mainly producing children’s books, textbooks, and educational games for the prestigious publishing houses in Mexico. He is the recipient of the NOMA Concours Encouragement Prize (Japan, 2002), Design for Museum Publications (Mexico, 1996), and the Antoniorobles Prize (Mexico, 1983).
ATOS Interest Level: Lower Grades
Category: Picture Book
ATOS English: 4.1
ATOS Spanish: 4.1
Accelerated Reader Quiz #: 84327
