Hattie and the Fox

Hattie and the Fox. written by Mem Fox. Illustrated by Patricia Mullins. 1987. 32p. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Author Website: www.memfox.net

Illustrator Website: www.patriciamullins.com.au

Medium: tissue paper and conte crayon

Awards and Honors: none

Audience: 3 and up

Annotation:

Hattie the hen tries to warn the other barnyard residents of impending danger. 

Personal Reaction:

Hattie the big black hen lives on a farm with a goose, a pig, a sheep, a horse and a cow. One day she notices something in the bushes and tries to warn the other animals, who reply with rather resounding apathy- "Well, well", says the pig; while the sheep says, "Who cares?; and the cow says, "What next?. As the thing in the bushes gets closer and Hattie sees more of it- a nose, two eyes, two ears, etc.- Hattie tries again and again to warn the other animals, but to no avail. 

When finally the thing in the bushes emerges, Hattie sees clearly that it is a fox and flies into a nearby tree. It's only then that the animals react, crying out, "Oh, no!" and "Dear me!". The cow, however, says, "MOO!" so loudly that it scares the fox away and afterwards they all remain silent for a long time. 

As this cumulative tale builds, so does the tension and it ends with a satisfying surprise when the cow moos with all its might. The looks on the faces of the frightened animals at the close of the story are priceless; they all stand wide-eyed and stiff- everyone except Hattie, of course, who remains safely perched high up in the crook of a tree.