The Big Bad Fox

by Benjamin Renner

Overview

Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Fox? No one, it seems.

The fox dreams of being the terror of the barnyard. But no one is intimidated by him, least of all the hens—when he picks a fight with one, he always ends up on the losing end. Even the wolf, the most fearsome beast of the forest, can’t teach him how to be a proper predator. It looks like the fox will have to spend the rest of his life eating turnips.

But then the wolf comes up with the perfect scheme. If the fox steals some eggs, he could hatch the chicks himself and raise them to be a plump, juicy chicken dinner. Unfortunately, this plan falls apart when three adorable chicks hatch and call the fox Mommy.

Beautifully rendered in watercolor by Benjamin Renner, The Big Bad Fox is a hilarious and surprisingly tender parable about parenthood that's sure to be a hit with new parents (and their kids too).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626723313
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	06/20/2017
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	189,264
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	7 - 11 Years

About the Author

Benjamin Renner is an award-winning French cartoonist, animator, and filmmaker. He received a 2014 Academy Awards nomination in the category of Best Animated Feature for the film Ernest & Celestine. His comic Le grand mechant renard (The Big Bad Fox) is currently being made into an animated special.

Editorial Reviews

04/10/2017
French graphic novelist Renner’s hapless fox doesn’t like to kill prey, and he’s putty in the hands of the local wolf, who talks him into stealing three eggs from a farm to be eaten once they hatch. “It’s simple,” the wolf promises. “You just put them in your mouth and chew. I’ll show you.” Renner’s cramped, spidery lines and diminutive vignettes convey an ever-changing kaleidoscope of expressions on the face of the fox: dismay, shock, sheepish embarrassment. Not unpredictably, the three fluffy chicks grow to love their parent (“If Mommy’s the Big Bad Fox, then we’re Little Bad Foxes!”), and the fox, in spite of himself, finds that he’s attached to them, too. Although a couple of the episodes skew too long, Renner’s tone hits the sweet spot between snarkiness and sentimentality, and Johnson’s translation is seamless. The supporting characters on the farm deserve recognition, too, such as the hen who organizes her colleagues to beat the pulp out of foxes, and the lazy hound who tries replacing the stolen eggs with refrigerator equivalents. Ages 7–11. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Bound to keep adults and kids alike laughing, this is a winning selection for comic book fans, reluctant readers, and those who enjoy subversive comedy." —School Library Journal, starred review

"Graphic novels fans from grades three and up are all going to find some- thing to like here from the art to the humor to the tender underbelly... In a celebratory era of powerful, memorable, visually significant graphic novels, this one happily joins the mountain near the top."— Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

"Although this concept of role reversal may be well-trod, Renner handles it deftly, making the predictable feel satisfying. A comically charming underfox tale." —Kirkus

"Renner’s tone hits the sweet spot between snarkiness and sentimentality." —Horn Book

From the Publisher

★ 04/01/2017
Gr 3–6—The proverbial fox may be a menace to the henhouse—but not the hero of this work. The titular character lacks gumption, guile, or cunning, and the chickens send him running each time he ventures into the farmyard. Taking pity on the fox, the wolf proposes playing the long game: stealing eggs and eventually eating the hatched chickens. The fox successfully makes off with the eggs, but things get complicated when the chicks emerge and (surprise, surprise!) assume that the fox is their mother. Though this work is similar in look and tone to typical comic strips (bulging-eyed, caricaturelike characters with exaggerated expressions; occasional slapstick violence; motion lines), there's a sophistication to the art that recalls the author/illustrator's roots as a celebrated filmmaker and cartoonist. Renner sets the individual scenes against a white backdrop, free of borders, resulting in a clean design, and the use of color, texture, and shading is top-notch. While much of the humor derives from somewhat predictable setups, such as the fox's botched attempts at proving that he can be just as intimidating as the wolf, it's sure to tickle young funny bones, and the author injects the narrative with a sly, edgy sensibility that sets this title apart from more typical fare. This one has heart, too, depicting the fox's burgeoning feelings of affection toward his unlikely ward. VERDICT Bound to keep adults and kids alike laughing, this is a winning selection for comic book fans, reluctant readers, and those who enjoy subversive comedy.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

2017-03-29
A not-too-tough fox in a henhouse comes away with more than he bargained for. With his small stature and unimpressive growl, the Big Bad Fox doesn't quite live up to his moniker. His attempt to accost a chicken from the nearby farm is foiled—humiliatingly—and consequently, most of the barnyard denizens see him as an annoyance, not an actual threat. Desperate, he joins forces with a wily gray wolf and steals three eggs that eventually hatch; the chicks believe that the fox is their mother. In an amusing turn of events, when the chicks discover the fox is not a chicken, they then believe themselves to also be foxes and change from docile to fierce. When the wolf comes to collect on their bargain, will the fox let his adorable and adoring brood be eaten? In a departure from the traditional sequential-storytelling form, Renner's earth-toned line-and-wash illustrations have no panel boundaries. His economic scenes offer little in the way of background, relying instead on the characters and their antics to propel the action. This clever offering plays with identity in an appealing and humorous way: the fox isn't ferocious, while the chickens are positively—and hilariously—bloodthirsty. Although this concept of role reversal may be well-trod, Renner handles it deftly, making the predictable feel satisfying. A comically charming underfox tale. (Graphic fantasy. 7-11)

Kirkus Reviews