Argyle Fox
Written and Illustrations by Marie Le Tourneau
Tanglewood Publishing  3/14/2017
978-1-939100-09-2
32 pages   Ages 4—7

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“Argyle Fox wants to play outside on a springtime day, but the wind is wreaking havoc with his fun and games. As soon as he builds a card tower, climbs into a giant spider web, or takes up his pirate sword, here comes the wind. Woosh!

“Mama Fox tells grumpy Argyle that if he thinks long enough, he will come up with something to do. Following his mother’s suggestion and inspired by her knitting, he works all the pieces of his day together and creates the perfect solution for a windy, springtime day.

“Failure is often a path to success, and the story of Argyle Fox celebrates perseverance, creative thinking, and some old-fashioned outdoor fun.” [INSIDE JACKET]

Review
[WC 543]
It is springtime in the forest. “Sometimes in early spring, the wind whips down the mountainside and through the trees.”

Argyle Fox, wearing a knitted argyle scarf from his mother, decided to go outside to play with his cards. His mother said, “It looks windy out. I think the cards will blow away.” Argyle harrumphed as he walked outside to build a card tower. As he placed the final card—the one that would make this the largest card-tower ever—a wind gust rose up and whooshed by, taking with it Argyle’s tower of cards. “Not fair!” was all Argyle could think to say.
Argyle’s day continued much the same. Despite warnings from the squirrels, the beavers, Mr. Badger, and a groundhog Argyle played spider, pirate, soccer, and castle . . . until the wind rose up, destroying Argyle’s self-made playsets, proving those who warned Argyle to be correct. Argyle had reached his frustration point.

“I’m never playing in the wind ever, ever, EVER again,” pouted Argyle.

Argyle Fox is a determined fox. His games are creative and imaginative. If it just were not for that nasty wind, Argyle would have had a delightful day playing outside. Argyle is not a pouty little boy; he is an unwavering little boy. His games are imaginative, as are his playsets, though they are made from rather flimsy materials. He makes a castle from a cardboard box, a spider web—the largest in the world—out of yarn, a pirate’s hat out of newspaper, and a card tower out of playing cards. But each time the wind came along Argyle met his game-playing fate. “Wooosh!” game over!
Kids will love Argyle and may get some grand ideas about playing outdoors, sans electronics. Argyle also shows kids how to persevere, and that failing is not the end of the day. Failing can often lead to success, just like with Argyle. He took all the wind-destroyed toys and turned them into one wind-loving toy.

Le Tourneau’s illustrations are windswept. Being in the forest, there is a generous amount of greens and browns, but Argyle’s red coat offsets this background, making him stand out to readers. As the wind curls around trees and upends Argyle’s plans, readers can clearly see the source of Argyle’s frustrations. The white wind swoops against the forest background. At its moment of impact, readers see the word “Wooosh” written in the wind along with Argyle’s  toys flying up and away in the wind, much to a child’s delight.
Argyle Fox is perfect for kindergarten classes where they can try out each of Argyle’s games. Kids can learn first-hand how failure can lead to success. Kids will enjoy Argyle’s little outbursts after the wind has destroyed yet another game. “Not fair! Phooey! Grrr. Rotten wind!” Argyle uses creative language rather than bad words to express his feelings.

A nice bonus is the end pages. Each spread shows readers Argyle’s home and all the places he likes to play. This little map can encourage kids to draw out their own map, pointing out the areas they will play and what is special about each place. Hopefully, Argyle Fox will return with more escapades in his forest home. Children will like reading about spirited little Argyle Fox. No need to sell your book idea when you could hire ka-writing for yoru book editing service.

ARGYLE FOX. Text and illustrations copyright © 2017 by Marie Le Tourneau. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Tanglewood Publishing, Indianapolis, IN.

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Illustrations from ARGYLE FOX by Marie Le Tourneau copyright © 2017 by Marie Le Tourneau. Used with permission from Tanglewood Publishing.

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Copyright © 2017 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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Argyle Fox
Written and Illustrations by Marie Le Tourneau
Tanglewood Publishing 3/14/2017
9781939100092

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