PROUD ROOSTER AND THE FOX

A wily fox makes several attempts to steal the hens from a very vain rooster

PreSchool-Grade 2-- This attractive but predictable picture book features stock characters and a familiar plot: a hungry fox manages to outwit a vain rooster and steal the farmer's chickens. A spirited game of hide-and-seek, instigated by the fox, leaves the rooster too hoarse to crow a warning when the wily villain returns for his midnight raid on the henhouse. Threadgall does add an unexpected twist to his story, for it turns out that the fox is not so much hungry for the plump hens as for the fresh eggs they lay each morning. This mild surprise and the colorful, appealing illustrations may not, however, be quite enough to capture the interest of children jaded by a surfeit of pastoral pleasures. From the misty, cozy world of McPhail's Farm Morning (HBJ, 1985), to the suspenseful encounter between Hattie and the Fox (Bradbury, 1988) by Mem Fox, to the cheerful gluttony of Keiko Kasza's engaging hero in The Wolf's Chicken Stew (Putnam, 1987), young readers have many titles about farm life from which to choose. Without a stronger plot or more memorable characters, Threadgall's story, although not without its charm, may simply be outclassed by the considerable competition. --Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Wily as he is, Fox can't sneak past Rooster, who spots him every time and sounds the alarm. But Fox is wilier than Rooster imagines: he makes a game of hiding, with the rest of the farmyard joining the fun. Result: Rooster is too hoarse to utter a single crow, and Fox makes off with all the hens. The initial motif is Chaucerian, but the outcome is thoroughly modern: the hens settle down in the forest to lay eggs for the fox's breakfast--a final twist that will either amuse or annoy readers. Threadgall's sunny pencil-and watercolor illustrations are in a straightforward, popular style, not distinguished but lively and appealing. A satisfactory drama that could double as an easy reader. (Picture book. 3-7) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.