Fox Makes Friends

In this simple yet delightful story, Fox misunderstands what it means to "make" a friend. In the process of trying to construct a friend out of twigs, apples, pumpkins, and other items from the forest, he unknowingly actually befriends Squirrel and Rabbit. Especially after having just read Peeping Beauty where a fox tries to eat a chicken, I was quite pleased that this little Fox did not try to eat his new friends!

This book is best suited for a younger crowd with its simple plot and colorful but equally simple illustrations. According to the back flap of the book, the illustrations are a "combination of watercolor, acrylic, and digital media," a mix that I greatly enjoyed. I liked the soft, muted colors, as opposed to the bright, loud colors that often characterize books for younger children. I also enjoyed that the characters were the main focus of each illustration, allowing readers to see their facial expressions easily. The book itself is fairly large with pictures that span across the large part of most of the pages, making it an ideal read-aloud in a kindergarten or first grade class. Particularly because many children in these grades are learning how to make friends in a new environment, this book could serve as a wonderful encouragement for them to reach out to new people and work on projects together.

Fox Makes Friends is apparently this author/illustrator's first attempt at a children's book. If his first book is this cute, I can't wait for him to write another one! This book, as I discovered, is available on Googlebooks, so if you are in the mood for super-cute, then you can read the whole thing!