The Fox and the Crow

Illustrator Fox’s spreads threaten to burst from the pages with swirling paint strokes, smoldering hues, and animal faces that look close enough to touch. Subramaniam (Dancing Bear) spins Aesop’s tale in prose that’s close to poetry. The first sentence lands right in the middle of the action: “When dusk falls, they arrive, raucous, clamping their feet on the wires in a many-pronged attack. As Crow makes to join them, a wafting scent gives him pause.” Big outstretched crow wings spread across two pages, the fragrant bakery visible below. The crow snatches a loaf of bread, and a crow’s-eye view shows the baker on the ground shaking his fist. The confrontation between fox and crow unfolds step by tense step. Horizontal spreads alternate with vertical; in one, “Fox raises her neck and howls. Oh, she’s a temptress, that one.” Crow opens his mouth to sing in return (“A song is an invitation”), dropping the precious bread. The excitement is all visual, and the sense of threat not inconsiderable. Who knew Aesop’s fables held this much drama? Ages 4–up. (Mar.)