Adventures of Rusty and Ginger Fox by Master Photographer Tim Ostermeyer is, as one might expect, a collection of lovely photographs, a cute story that will appeal to children through age eight, and some forest animal facts.
Rusty and Ginger are two young Red Foxes. They begin the book as two-week old babies, and the pictures and story line chronicle their maturing process.
The book skirts the line between fiction and nonfiction. Children need to be reminded that in real life, the Mom and Dad foxes do not tell stories to their babies, nor would they know what a treasure chest is.
But they would learn from their parents about dangerous animals, and several of these animals are introduced in this story, along with interesting facts about the animals. The animal facts are presented on one page with the animal's tracks separating the facts from the photographs. The reader learns, for example, that wolves travel twelve miles a day and can live up to eight years in the wild.
Readers will also learn about the cougar, also known as puma or panther. They can jump up to eighteen feet high and weigh up to 200 pounds. No wonder Rusty and Ginger stay away!
Deer, bobcats and bears round out the other forest animals featured in this story, except at the end another creature is introduced. The Human.
The fox family swims out to an island where there is a treasure chest with fruit and "jewels" inside. The foxes want the fruit but cannot open the chest. The two girls, Emma and Sophia, open the chest, play with the foxes, and share the contents of the treasure chest with them.
The girls also are pictured throwing coins in the air as they say that they plan on sharing the treasure by giving some of the money to other people who aren't as lucky as they are.
A noble sentiment -- but in a story about forest animals? This book does a wonderful job of explaining about foxes, their lives, and the animals they live with in the forest environment. Taking it in a different direction by bringing in human girls and and telling the readers that the foxes were happy to see the girls (in a book that is ostensibly nonfiction) gives children the wrong impression.
Foxes are usually not happy to see humans of any shape or size, nor should they be. The less wild animals rely on humans, and the farther they stay away from humans, the better off they are.
So purchase this book for your young readers who love animals. They will enjoy the stunning photographs, the beautiful animals and the lovely setting. But be sure to discuss with them that there are two parts of this story, the nonfiction beginning about fox babies and the forest animals, and the fictional ending with the foxes playing with the human girls.
The books I review on this site, except where noted, are Advance Review Copies (ARCs) or review copies of the published book sent by publishers — common practice in the industry. I never accept payment in exchange for a review or mention.
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