Vulpes, the Red Fox [Mass Market Paperback]

Jean Craighead George (Author), John George (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1996

Loving to outwit the hunters that chase and admire him every day, young Vulpes, the smartest fox pup in his litter, believes his strength is unlimited until the day he comes face-to-face with the enemy. LJ.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (March 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140376232
• ISBN-13: 978-0140376234
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #905,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jean Craighead George was born in a family of naturalists. Her father, mother, brothers, aunts and uncles were students of nature. On weekends they camped in the woods near their Washington, D.C. home, climbed trees to study owls, gathered edible plants and made fish hooks from twigs. Her first pet was a turkey vulture. In third grade she began writing and hasn't stopped yet. She has written over 100 books.Her book, Julie of the Wolves won the prestigious Newbery Medal, the American Library Association's award for the most distinguished contribution to literature for children, l973. My Side of the Mountain, the story of a boy and a falcon surviving on a mountain together, was a 1960 Newbery Honor Book. She has also received 20 other awards.She attended Penn State University graduating with a degree in Science and Literature. In the 1940s she was a reporter for The Washington Post and a member of the White House Press Corps. After her children were born she returned to her love of nature and brought owls, robins, mink, sea gulls, tarantulas - 173 wild animals into their home and backyard. These became characters in her books and, although always free to go, they would stay with the family until the sun changed their behavior and they migrated or went off to seek partners of their own kind.When her children, Twig, Craig and Luke, were old enough to carry their own backpacks, they all went to the animals. They climbed mountains, canoed rivers, hiked deserts. Her children learned about nature and Jean came home and to write books. Craig and Luke are now environmental scientists and Twig writes children's books, too.One summer Jean learned that the wolves were friendly, lived in a well-run society and communicated with each other in wolf talk -- sound, sight, posture, scent and coloration. Excited to learn more, she took Luke and went to the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory in Barrow, Alaska, where scientists were studying this remarkable animal. She even talked to the wolves in their own language. With that Julie of the Wolves was born. A little girl walking on the vast lonesome tundra outside Barrow, and a magnificent alpha male wolf, leader of a pack in Denali National Park were the inspiration for the characters in the book. Years later, after many requests from her readers, she wrote the sequels, Julie and Julie's Wolf Pack.She is still traveling and coming home to write. In the last decade she has added two beautiful new dimensions to her words beautiful full-color picture book art by Wendell Minor and others and - music. Jean is collaborating with award-winning composer, Chris Kubie to bring the sounds of nature to her words.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fine nature read from two master storytellers, January 25, 2001

By 

Isabel Harding (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vulpes, the Red Fox (Mass Market Paperback)

This was Jean Craighead George's first book and is, as are the majority of her eighty or so others, a masterpiece of nature writing. Originally published in 1948, the book has, thankfully, been reprinted so that it may be enjoyed by young readers once again. Ms. George also wrote DIPPER OF COPPER CREEK, also reprinted, and several other out-of-print but nonetheless wonderful nature stories, with her ex-husband John George, before going on to write such classics as MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN and the JULIE OF THE WOLVES books. The story concerns a young red fox in the woods of Maryland named Vulpes (all of the Georges' characters were named after their Latin scientific identifications) and his abilities outwit and outrun the hunters who are after him. Gorgeous wash illustrations by Ms. George herself and a spellbinding climax at the end make this a wonderful addition to any nature lore- or children's- book collection.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book for young readers, February 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Vulpes, the Red Fox (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a warm and sensitive book that lingers in the reader's mind for years. I read it as a little girl, and now I am reading it to my own children. Jean Craighead does a marvelous job describing the Maryland countryside before it was swallowed by suburban sprawl. No sentimental, not "preachy", this little book shows respect for all living things. I highly recommend it!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Novel, August 8, 2001

By 

Sarah (Holland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vulpes, the Red Fox (Mass Market Paperback)

If you love foxes, this is the book for you. This excellent novel is about a young fox who grows up in the wild. The details are great and the story is well written. As a fox lover my self, I couldn't put this book down. This novel is great for young teenagers who want to know more about what it is like for a red fox to grow up in the wild. The great detail makes you think you are there in the story with the fox. I would read it over and over!