Saving Samantha (Hazel Ridge Farm Stories) [Hardcover]

Robbyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen (Author), Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 2004 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Hazel Ridge Farm Stories (Book 2)

Illustrator Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen and wife Robbyn team up again for another wildlife tale drawn from their encounters with the animal kingdom. Told in journal form and rendered in beautifully detailed artwork, the van Frankenhuyzens give a "day in the life" view as the fox Samantha begins her journey from injured kit to independent adult living on her own.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4–In this follow-up to their Adopted by an Owl (Sleeping Bear, 2001), a husband-and-wife team share the story of an injured fox cub they nursed on their Michigan farm and returned to the wild. Snippets from the actual diary the author kept during the experience pepper the text, linked together by a narrative that relates how Samantha became part of the family's life. The story begins when they find the cub caught in a trap one spring. By autumn, the family members know that it is time to reintroduce her to the wild, and they watch her from afar as she finds a mate and has a litter of pups. Through it all, the painterly illustrations capture the magnificence of the natural world with glowing colors of light and shadow. Text and pictures capture the inevitable cycles of nature and show respect for the natural world as well as the very real sadness of letting go of an animal friend. An excellent resource for ecology units or discussions of animal life cycles.–Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. The author and illustrator live on a 40-acre farm in Michigan where they rehabilitate animals and return them to the wilderness. This focuses on a fox pup named Samantha, rescued from a trap by the author and her dog. The text, peppered with diary entries, traces Samantha's recovery as she goes from being almost a pet to a fully functioning wild fox, with a mate and pups of her own. The text is awkward in places, especially as the narrative and diary entries are often in different tenses, but the story itself is so interesting that grammar seems a quibble. The robust illustrations also do their part to intrigue and attract--from the oversize picture of Samantha on the cover to the spread of the pups near the end of the book. Yet both text and art stick to the gritty facts: when Samantha kills the family rooster, Igor, it's clearly shown in the art. A solid, personalized introduction to the cycle of life. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press; 1 edition (March 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585362204
• ISBN-13: 978-1585362202
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #825,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book for any nature loving family!, March 30, 2004

By 

Kristen Diehl (Cedarville, Mi USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saving Samantha (Hazel Ridge Farm Stories) (Hardcover)

Saving Samantha is one of Sleeping Bear Press's best books to date. Nick and Robbyn have produced a spectacular and heart warming picture book in their latest joint endeavor. Saving Samantha tells their family's journey in nursing a fox kit back to health while the fox slowly reintroduces herself back into the wild. This is a wonderful book to share with your children. It will help show children how wild animals should be treated with care and respect. It is a nature lover's ideal book! This is a book that both adults and children will enjoy. The journalization is so honest (and humorsome at times- poor Igor) while the illustrations help show you how time passes by while Sam heals. It is simply a marvelous, enjoyable book! My personal favorite part was the relationship that Sam, the fox pup, develops with Myles, the family dog. It just goes to show that even though an animal may be of a different breed, that they can all live together and be friends. This is my new must read for all of my bookstore customers!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars HALL OF FAME INDUCTION, August 18, 2004

By 

NotATameLion (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saving Samantha (Hazel Ridge Farm Stories) (Hardcover)

Robbyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen and Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen (along with Gijsbert's "Legend of" partner Kathy-Jo Wargin) have entered my picture book authors/illustrators Hall of Fame. With the great "Legend of" and animal adoption books they join such luminaries as Barbara Helen Berger, Tomie de Paola, Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith, and, the Grand Master--Dr. Seuss. The continuing quality of the Frankenhuyzen's and Mrs. Wargin's work stands up well against any of the other people currently in the hall.

Saving Samantha is the story of Robbyn's rehabilitation of Samantha, a wounded vixen. Told in journal form, the book is about Sam's sojourn with the Frankenhuyzen family and of her return to the wild. I found the book to be moving and informative.

As I have increasingly come to expect, Gijsbert's illustrations are excellent. My favorite is the one of Myles sleeping next to the cage.

I give Saving Samantha my heartfelt recommendation.

4.0 out of 5 stars Return to the Wild, October 21, 2011

By 

Mama Bear - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saving Samantha (Hazel Ridge Farm Stories) (Hardcover)

Beautifully illustrated story about a woman who helps an injured baby red fxo through its return to the wild. I liked the page of fox facts at the end.