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.

 


Comments

Anna

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:24:41

Thank you for encouraging me to reflect back on those simpler days.
For me, they rest in midst of a farm in rural West Tennessee where we were often caught sharing our farm-raised products with the neighbors. Watermelons and mushmellons (that’s what my Daddy called them) were top on the list! Yummy!

 

Matt

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 11:59:27

Your welcome. My grandparents and I grew up in West Tennessee. They grew cotton and soybeans but by the time I was older they were leasing out most of the land to other farmers. My dad even sold pigs to pay for part of his medical school bills!

 

David

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:41:28

I enjoyed being reminded about simpler times as well. My mother is from rural west Tennessee and I have great memories of the whole family sitting under the carport shucking corn, snapping beans, and shelling peas. My grandfather grew soybeans and corn. It also reminded me of my other grandparents' house in rural Mississippi. They had a huge garden and we would sit out on their huge front porch shelling and shucking while watching the cars go by on the gravel road. At night we would gather around and play board games or cards.

 

Julie

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:33:28

I know that you expressed concern about the language used in the book. However, as an English teacher myself, I see this book as an opportunity to present a slice of real history and regional culture to children. In addition, it gives us a chance to discuss stereotyping and why this type of language has fallen out of favor today. Thank-you for your review. I was unfamiliar with this book.

 

Matthew Teal

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:51:08

Like Julie in the post above, I am not concerned with the southern language. I am from the south and would enjoy the opportunity to read to my children in a thick southern accent.

 

Darline

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:28:17

I was introduced to this book by a college friend who used this book as an assignment. At first, it was hard for me to understand the language, but after really listening to the conversations, it became easier. I think this would be a great book to talk about the lifestyles and cultures of different people. Also, it would be good to discuss historical times of our nation. Even though I am from the south, it helped me understand that even when we are from the same place, we are still different. This is a great book to challenge our young readers. It's great!

 



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