The Fox in the Library

It is such a cute book..the "mouse outsmarting the fox is a great twist. Fun to read and the kids love it.

I read the book to kindergarten children who got the drift of the story and who liked the fox with the chickens I also gave a copy of the book to the school Library and the Librarian gave it a thumbs up. Ann

My three year old loves this story. Great illustrations also

Giving this to many of my book loving friends, child and grownup. Great illustrations.

Foxes can be quite clever as is the fox in this inviting picture book, THE FOX IN THE LIBRARY written by Lorenz Pauli, illustrated by Kathrin Schärer and published by NorthSouth Books.The fox gets help in the library though by some very special friends and he learns the value of friendship over trickery.#PB #library #animals

First published in Switzerland (in German), The Fox in the Library is a translated release from the publisher's U.S.-based arm, NorthSouth Books. Part-time Swiss kindergarten teacher Lorenz Pauli and illustrator Kathrin Schärer have worked together more recently ( Das Beste überhaupt ), though you may need a Swiss German dictionary unless and until it, too, is released here by NorthSouth.Building on the long European tradition of anthropomorphic folk tales, this story features a mouse and a fox. Mouse effectively functions as librarian, though whether she knowingly escapes into the library based on prior experience or simply thinks quickly in order to live another day is unclear. Mouse's actions are borne out of self-preservation but she also solves Fox's literacy problem. The text suffers a little for the translation, though the book's abrupt end can hardly be blamed on that. The mouse-as-magician also seems misplaced; perhaps an odd homage to  The Sorcerer's Apprentice ?Schärer works in collages with a unique cut-and-paste technique; sometimes it is appealing and sometimes not. When it works, the charcoal backdrops are reminisient of, though still less satisfying than, the photograph backgrounds Mo Willems uses in Knuffle Bunny. At other times, the animals here look like Photoshop cutouts crudely mounted on black or white cardstock. The final two-page spread, showing the animal cast perched on a globe of the Swiss Alps under a starry sky, is unusual. Perhaps, considering Fox's newfound love for books, this can be seen as an abstract rendition of 'He's got the whole world in his hands.' A nice touch which may go unnoticed: they are reading *this* book.Despite concerns with both the text and art, this book's message is clear: reading makes you smart, and the smart will survive. The book therefore remains true to the spirit of countless folk tales which preceded it. This reviewer has other murine favorites, including  Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse  and  Mouse Mess , both, ironically, full of collages. If what you want is a mouse matching wits against a fox (and more), look no further than  The Gruffalo .3 ¼ stars[The reviewer was provided with a complimentary copy of the book.]

The Fox in the Library was originally published in German in cooperation with the Swiss Association of the general public libraries(SAB). This translation seemed to transition the book well for U.S. readers. The striking illustrations are a plus and the story opens up some interesting options for talking about libraries and cooperation.

So eine wunderbare Geschichte mit wunderschönen Zeichnungen illustriert!

delightful illustrations to a magical little book