Review Detail

TINY FOX AND GREAT BOAR: THERE is an adorable graphic novel about friendship, sharing, and working together. Tiny Fox loves to hang out under his apple tree. One day, Boar arrives, and Fox knows that now he will have to share everything. He is not sure how he feels about it until he goes away for time by himself. When he gets back, Boar is gone, and he realizes how much he misses him. He waits for him and is thrilled when he returns. As winter comes, they share what they have and find a scarf that they work to rescue from a tree. They then travel to find more food during winter, learning that working together is the best.

What I loved: The illustrations are lush and lovely, with expressive characters and imaginative scenery. The panels are easy to follow and the pictures tell much of the story. The text is sparse but moves the story forward well. The speech bubbles are clear and easy to follow with a font that is very readable.

The story is a relatable story of friendship and challenges that children face around sharing and navigating disagreements. Fox finds it challenging to share everything at first, but he soon learns that there is joy in the friendship. Later, when they are disagreeing about which way to go, they realize that they don't want to go alone - and owl shows them a better way with his higher view. There are plenty of little lessons about navigating challenges in the story, great for this age group.

The backmatter of the book includes some great discussion questions that follow from the story, great for further consideration. It also includes some early sketches of the story to show how art can evolve and give some background to the story. This inspires readers to consider creating their own story.

Final verdict: A compelling story about friendship and working together, TINY FOX AND GREAT BOAR: THERE is an engaging graphic novel that will appeal to elementary school aged readers.