| Title | : | Flossie and the Fox |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0803702507 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780803702509 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 32 |
| Publication | : | First published October 30, 1986 |
| Awards | : | California Young Readers Medal Primary (1989) |
Flossie and the Fox Reviews
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Okay, this book is just so darn cute!!! Once I saw the cover illustration, I knew that I'd love it. It's a great folktale-y story with Southern roots and a spunky heroine who outsmarts the sly fox that has been stealing all the eggs. I know I would have absolutely loved this as a kid--the dialect is great fun for read-aloud! :-) The illustrations capture Flossie's spirit just perfectly (but, then, I'm a Rachel Isadora fan, so I may be biased!) Read it and grin! :-)
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🔥🥶🦊🥶🌟
“If I had a Foxx 🤞 😂
You think I’d let Flossieee 🍲👩🍳🍱 whip him??
Oh, no no no!? 🌎 🔑 🌎
Ive ever seen a 🐇🥕🐰 out of a 👒☘️🍃
And away he’ll 🛻 💨 📦 go.”- ✨🐾🐣Young reader🍵 -
When Flossie Finley is dispatched to her neighbors the McCutchins' place with a basket of eggs, her grandmother Big Mama warns her to take care, and to be wary of cunning foxes. No sooner does she set out however, than she meets a handsome red creature claiming to be just such an animal. Rather than being (or appearing) frightened, Flossie, who has never seen a fox before, refuses to believe the creature's protestations that he is indeed what he claims. His chagrin, when all his efforts to convince her fail, keeps him occupied as Flossie makes her journey in safety...
Described by some as an African-American retelling of
Little Red Riding Hood, Flossie & the Fox is a story that author Patricia C. McKissack first heard from her grandfather, and fits squarely into the 'clever girl who outwits her stronger/more frightening adversary' tale-type. I was reminded a bit of Margaret Willey's
Clever Beatrice and its sequels, which are also based on folkloric tradition. Although I appreciated Flossie's bravery, and her cunning - it is revealed at the end that she knew all along that the fox was telling the truth, but deceived him in order to keep him otherwise occupied while she safeguarded her eggs - as a fox-lover I admit to a certain sneaking sympathy for the vulpine opponent here. More than that, really... as someone who has read countless fox tales, I had difficulty believing that the fox could be so easily hoodwinked. The role reversal was interesting of course - usually the fox is the trickster, not the tricked - but in the end it left me unconvinced and unsatisfied. Still, as a 'clever girl' tale, this has appeal, and the artwork by Rachel Isadora, done in pencil, ink and watercolor, was lovely. Recommended to anyone looking for stories featuring clever little girls, the southern African-American folk tradition (the dialogue is in dialect), or foxes. -
A wonderful tale of how one clever little girl outsmarts a wily, egg-stealin' fox.
Rachel Isadora's illustrations, particularly her character's facial expressions, are delightful.
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Read as part of Prime Time Family Reading Program training. So cute!
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Fun and clever story! Must read with a southern accent for maximum giggle affect!
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Text-to-Text Connection: How is the topic, theme, or story elements connected to a different children’s book?
Flossie & The Fox
The old southern dialog made this novel even more interesting.
This text aligns with the children’s book Little Red Riding Hood. Was Flossie really fooled? Did Flossie outsmart the fox? Flossie and Little Red Riding were neither fooled. Their clever approach both outwitted the fox and wolf. They both had different approaches of examining the fox and wolf. In the animal’s perspectives they were both perplexed. Although both books are very similar in concept, the endings differ. -
Flossie and the Fox is an interesting take on Little Red Riding Hood. This is the tale of Flossie from Tennessee who is entrusted to take eggs to the McCutchin farm because a fox is scaring the hens. On her trip to the farm, Flossie meets the fox who introduces himself to Flossie as the fox...the only thing is Flossie does not believe the animal is a fox! The fox tries and tries to prove to Flossie that he is not lying, but you must read to find out if it works!
Rachel Isadora is the illustrator of the book. The pictures are magnificent. They are done in watercolor and black ink. Isadora captures great emotions on both the fox and Flossie. The fox looks so proud and sly in the first few pictures, but by the end looks helpless and irritated. Flossie always had a grin on her face which to me showed that she knew the fox's true identity.
I would use this book with students in 2nd-8th grade. The vocabulary is a little higher and the book is longer so I do not know if a kindergarten student could sit for that long. The book comes with audio which gives a nice flavor because students are able to listen to the language of the South which could transport them to Tennessee. This book could be used to discuss different types of animals and how they are similar and/or different. -
A wonderfully cute story that read like a variation of "Little Red Riding Hood" but with some major differences.
The reading is easy and simple to understand even with the usage of local dialect.
Flossie's cheeky wit and the realistically colorful pictures will make this a family favorite. -
I've had it read to me...must have it read to me again!
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This book is so entertaining, and if you read it as a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, it plays on some very fun archetypes. Take Flossie for instance--instead of saying, "My, what big eyes you have!," she articulates that well, just because you have a tail doesn't mean you're a fox, because after all, other animals have tails, too. And the fox can easily be read as a retelling of a wolf, or as the archetypal trickster fox who is outwitted by somebody who is more clever than he.
Basically, Flossie is this inquisitive girl who knows what she's doing. She's smart, witty, and has a lot of spunk. She's a great protagonist for a children's book, and I'd definitely recommend this to anybody who likes fairy tale-esque books.
Review cross-listed
here! -
I read this because I was raised in the South and can remember hearing about Flossie as a child, but not with a clear memory. It's a cute tale which brings back many memories of simpler times in the South, including the joy of a summer day in the woods. That said, I get frustrated with children's books that are anthropomorphic in their treatment of animals. People are always outsmarting the animals rather than finding a harmony of life with them, yet a fox is known to be quite cunning and in nature often outsmarts the people. I don't want children to grow up feeling animals are beneath them. Yet, I understand the joy of a fantasy story where a small child can speak to a small animal.
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Who can outsmart whom? This book has a country language at children's level. The fox thinks that he is scary, but Flossie does not get scared. Flossie is confident and doesn't believe she saw a fox. The cat told Flossie that the fox is a fox, but Flossie disagreed. Flossie stayed strong and confident the whole time and didn't drop any eggs. The fox was not satisfied, but Flossie was. The pictures in this book provide a more vivid view of the words. Some of the words were hard to pronounce, but the reader can understand what the words mean. Children can have a level of confidence that can be good or bad depending on the situation.
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A retelling of Little Red Riding Hood told in the deep South around the turn of the century, Flossie is supposed to take eggs to Miz Viola and along the way she encounters a fox, or is it? Flossie tells him she has never met a fox before and doesn't believe him. The fox spends the rest of the journey trying to convince her that he is who he says he is and in the end Flossie tricks him into being chased by a dog.
This could be used for a unit on fairytales and their retelling.
It could be used in a unit on Southern literature.
It could also be used in a unit on stranger danger. -
I was always enthralled by this book when I would pick it up in my elementary school classroom. You can simply see how confident Flossie is, with the way she's smiling at the Fox on the cover. Re-reading it now - and actually reading the words rather than just looking at the illustrations and making up my own scenarios - I find it to be quite a funny story, with beautifully vibrant paintings. The author even wrote a note about how she was inspired by her grandfather's storytelling, which explains a lot.
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I think I would have liked it better if the fox was caught and not just out-foxed.
Ages: 4 - 8
Cleanliness: "Shucks."
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!
Visit my website! -
Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood wherein the author creates characters that present speech patterns that are antithetical to those found in traditional children’s literature or the classroom setting. The protagonist, Flossie, uses AAE while the Fox uses Standard English. In this way, Flossie is lifted up for nonstandard English usage whereas the antagonist uses a more standard variety and is not as smart or cunning as flossie.
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I think the illustrations are wonderfully detailed and spot on. The story itself is very wise. A little girl is told to run eggs to the neighbor, but to be careful of the fox. When she encounters the fox, she makes him convince her who he is. But be aware that the verbage is from before things became politically correct. So if you're easily offended, don't read it.
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I love the style of writing Ms. McKissack used in this book. She listened to the stories told to her when she was young, and she was able to write down the distinctive dialect and tales of the rural South. The story of Flossie and the Fox pulled me in at the first page. Beautifully illustrated as well.
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Flossie is off to her grandmothers with a basket of eggs but is waylaid by a fox but Flossie has a few tricks up her sleeve.
We read this to learn about "tricky people" for our Blossom&Root-1st curriculum. -
Cute story reminiscent of Red Riding Hood. Flossie outfoxes the fox.
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This is a clever, sweet story about a little girl who won't believe a fox is what he says he is. The fox does everything he can to prove himself to her. Funny story with beautiful illustrations.
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Great story; might not hold younger children’s attention, but older children will enjoy watching a brave little girl as she figures out how to outsmart the devlishly wily fox!
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Another 4.5.
