Hattie and the Fox

Hattie the Hen lives on a farm with the goose, pig, sheep, horse and cow. One day she spots something suspicious in the bushes. She warns the other animals but they are apathetic. More and more of the thing reveals itself until Hattie realizes it's a fox. Her pronouncement turns apathy to frenzy; the cow's loud moo scares the fox away. The animals are so surprised that they remain silent. Readers hope that in the future, Hattie's words will be given more importance by the barnyard animals. Author Fox builds the suspense in this cumulative tale with precise pacing. Mullins uses tissue-paper collage and crayon to create an unusual effect, both fuzzy and comic. The animals whether watchful predator, the lethargic barnyard variety or an alert Hattieare wonderfully expressive and characterized. Ages 4-7. (March)

PreS-Gr 1 Hattie the Hen announces that she sees a nose in the bushes, to which her barnyard friends respond: "Good grief!" "Well, well!" "Who cares?" "So what?" and "What next?" What's next are the eyes, ears, legs, and body of a hungry fox. The fox lunges, Hattie flies, and the goose, pig, sheep, and horse panic. But the cow moos so loudly that the fox is frightened away. Bright, whimsical tissue collage and crayon illustrations add zest to this simple cumulative tale, and reveal more action than is expressed by the text alone. The repetition of the urbane animals' responses creates a rhythm which is energized by the fox' arrival. Hattie and the Fox combines a refreshing visual presentation with a classic form to make a terrific choice for reading aloud to very young children, or for those just beginning to read on their own. Carolyn Noah, Worcester Public Library, Mass.