By This “darkly comic fable about the unintended consequences of our quest to tame the natural world” was published in 2015. $17 for 49 5×7 pages is a little pricey, no? It is charmingly illustrated with line drawings by Chelsea Cardinal, though.
FOX 8, gud pal of FOX 7 and follower of the Grate Leeder FOX 28, is the hero of this story. (He has learned to read and understand English by sitting outside the children’s bedroom window night after night as bedtime stories are read, but he doesn’t know how to spel gud.) When developers clear cut the foxes’ habitat to build FoxViewCommons, a Mawl with Par King, the foxes face starvation. FOX 7 and 8 go on a foray to the Mawl to find fud for everyone. Poor FOX 7 ends up ded at the hands of the Yumans. A very sad business. But there is a happy ending for FOX 8 after he trots and trots and trots through development after development until he arrives at a glorious Forest inhabited by a hole other groop of foxes, who like him, as luck would have it. He settles down to make a family with Fox SmallNose/Alert + Funy. The End.
Now, you didn’t expect to read anything like this today, did you? 🙂
Open Arts Spring 2023 
I did not expect to read anything like this today, Teri, and I enjoyed every minute of it, every word. Thank you for that deep pleasure. Must get my eyes on this. : )
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That was fun to read, Teri — thanks for sharing FOX 8 😀
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FOX 8 thanks you for reading his story and your love of the Forest.
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I laughed, I grinned, I giggled, I cried, my heart broke. I love Fox 8, I love this little book. Couched in its deceptive innocence, a dark and piercing take on humanity; on our thoughtless acquisitiveness; on the way we move blindly across landscape with utter disregard for current occupants.
Fox 8 is a distinctive literary voice, to be sure. Saunders brilliance has given us a memorable character whose take on life is both unhuman and distinctly human – a day dreamer, a thinker, a wonderer. So full of curiosity. And the illustrations are perfect. Again, deceptive in their simplicity, so much character in so few lines.
I just really, really, really enjoyed this, and will reread at least once before returning to the library. Thank you, Teri!.
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So glad you’re in the Fox 8 fan club, JNaz. I nominate you for president after reading your majestic comment about the book!
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Oh, Teri, you make me laugh. I just really do love this book. Maybe I could be Grate Leeder?
It also brought to mind a piece of framed work my folks have on the wall of their guest bedroom. it is something my niece did in kindergarten, a list of all the things to remember to bring to school each day, compete with illustrations for each object. The last thing on the list is ” a gud brane,” which has always made me smile.
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A gud brane!! Marvelous. Thank you for sharing that smile, Grate Leeder!
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I just reserved a copy at my library. You find the most interesting reads, Teri.
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Oh, I am glad you will get acquainted with FOX 8!
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I also put this on hold from my local public library 🙂 Loving the communal reading this winter!
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Yay!
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Reeding this wuz grate and I sekind the pix r wundrfl ❤
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Supr grate, Borkali!
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I loved this story! Fox 8 will have a place in my heart forever.
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Thanks for saying so, Barbara. Me, too.
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Saunders is a brilliant author. I loved every second of this posthumaist story. Yumans need to be niser.
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Shyanne, I agree–on both counts.
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