AUTHOR:    Patricia McKissack
AGES:        5 - 8 years old
REVIEW:    Flossie & the Fox is a tale of empowerment. A notorious and wily fox meets his match when he encounters an equally witted little girl in the woods. Flossie, who is delivering eggs to a neighbor, refuses to be afraid of this sly critter until he can offer proof that he is the fox her grandmother warned her about. Back to Books also has a short summary.

This story is set in the rural South and reminds me of the simpler days, before television and video games, when my grandfather and I would catch lightning bugs, fish and walk around the homestead. We worked during the day and would spend the evenings talking about infamous relatives and competing in telling the most outlandish yet believable stories. Like the tales of master Storytellers, this story has a message; a young girl uses her brains to beat the fox’s brawn.   

This story does contain old southern vernacular you may not want your child to learn and racial/social stereotyping, yet it could serve as an opportunity to discuss these matters with your child. Good media offers another view on this book.

For more about the author and her books, check out The AuthorVisit blog.

Guest Blogger:  Matt M. is administrator of a satellite campus at Jackson State Community College and loves reading bedtime stories to his daughter. Bedtime stories are a fond memory from my childhood and I am carrying on the tradition, from Disney to our own made up stories, we cover it all. I was trained to teach a myriad of subjects at the secondary level but now only use those skills at homework time.  Matt is a student in Dr. Grant's IDT 7061 class.