I found this book at a thrift store, and I can't resist vintage children's books, as you may know. I saw the great illustrations (by Peter Spier) inside, and thought "Oh, a sweet little story about a fox.."Yeah - well, not exactly.
I scanned some of the illustrated pages that are in full color. It's the book version of an old song, which I had probably heard before but I didn't really remember it. Until I read inside that it was arranged by Burl Ives. Burl Ives! That's when I realized that surely I had indeed heard it before. So - with apologies to those of you who live in the country and may have geese, ducks, or chickens to worry about - here are a few of the pages:
And please do go ahead and have a listen to the song, courtesy of YouTube:I couldn't find a Burl Ives version that didn't sound distorted. And, may I also add that it still blows my mind that, with the internet, I can find a book and be able to listen to a song that's inside of it within hours, along with a vast assortment of other information, all quite literally at my fingertips. Amazing, isn't it?
The drawings are so much like what I saw when I got up this morning, the big full moon was hanging over the hills on the other side of the river and the water was glistening in its light. Fox can also sometimes dine on a cat too, and we have many fox around. I told Ishi to be careful when I let him out. Thanks for a great post. Love T
ReplyDeletenever have seen this book - really enjoyed your post heidi.
ReplyDeleteI love the illustrations.
ReplyDeletesuch a wonderful children's book.
ReplyDeleteI love the illustrations.
Cathy
haha, such a sweet story of murder.
ReplyDeletei love the way the little foxes are drawn!
Thia was one of my favorite books growing up! (even though I have chickens and love them dearly)I love all the illustrations, even the black and white ones have so much happening in them. Thanks so much for this great post, it was so much fun seeing some of the images again!
ReplyDeleteI read this book as a child, growing up in Cape Town, South Africa (around 1989 maybe) and for a few months now, I've had a vivid memory of this particular page "...and he prayed to the moon to give him light". The illustration of the fox bowing, the moon on the opposite spread and the soft colours, all jumped back into my mind. Funny how something so specific can randomly be recalled so vividly and not let go until explored further. Thanks for sharing, this really made my day.
ReplyDelete