This is a silly book. And like all silly books, if you stop to ask what the heck is goin on, then you won't like it.

The three foxes are looking for rabbits. And like The Cave, which is also by the same author, there is a twist at the end.

The illustrations are fun to look at, and children will probably love reading about the funny looking foxes.

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Screen-Shot-2019-03-15-at-10.29.03-PM.png" alt="The woods" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5033" />

But the ending is odd, and kind of doesn't make sense.

But as I said, you can't stop and think about silly books deeper meaning, or you won't end up liking it.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

The Woods is a charming and a bit funny picture book with some amazing artwork. It was fun to read about the mischief of the foxes.

Word choices ruined this one for me. Numbskull, stupid... parents spend so much time trying to broaden their child's vocabulary than to use lame insulting language such as this. The illustrations were good, it's unfortunate the author didn't try to rise above and be clever in his insults. .

A fun quick read. I thought the humor was good and I know my kids will laugh quite a bit. The illustrations are great.

Although I found the narrative to be too simple in mood/weight...it still had its hehe moments which is also convey in this cartoony-fun illustrations

When you pick up a children’s book you generally expect cute pictures with good messages that are interesting for the age group while sometimes throwing in some humour. This wasn’t that. The illustrations are simple and silly (worm watching tv underground) but not overly appealing, kind of scribbly and awkward.

Though there was a hint of humour in the backstory, the story itself was a bit dark for the age group. (We must capture and devour every last delicious rabbit…) Yes, foxes eat rabbits. It’s still a children’s book. There was also name calling and one rabbit had a very bad attitude. The appropriateness is questionable… I won’t be going out to buy this for my 3 year old.

I loved this short colourful story of three hapless foxes on a hunt for rabbits. The illustrations are in the same delightfully quirky style as the author’s previous book, the Cave. This time I did expect a twist, but was still surprised and entertained by this cautionary tale of misleading appearances. Kids will, no doubt, love commenting on the foxes’ arduous and fruitless journey as well as spotting the ever-present hunter’s eyes and the shenanigans of the cute pink worm.
Strongly recommended.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group/ Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

"Here are the woods. The woods are home to three foxes. Three foxes are on a hunt... for rabbits."


Thus begins a tale of search and destroy. But will they succeed? Tiny Fox, Tall Fox, and Round Fox are on a mission to round up a buffet of mouth-watering rabbits to eat.

Their search takes them over the tallest trees... nope, no rabbits there, under the carrot fields... nah, no rabbits there, and then through the pumpkin patch... no... no rabbits there, just to name a few.

After an exhausting day they wonder if they will ever catch a rabbit, might be easier to catch doughnuts or acorns they speculate. The next day, three determined foxes, resume their seemingly impossible task. Then finally the unexpected happens. A surprise awaits them that they never in a million years expected to find!

The illustrations are colourful, quirky and quite unique. Kids will love outfoxing the foxes by discovering rabbits on each page which of course are unknown to the not-so-sly canines who are deep into stalking mode. Kids can also find a little pink worm on the pages. He moves always onward as the story progresses. The delightful little worm also appears on the author's website which is a fun connection to discover.

This humorous tale will be a hit with its interactive components and the animated and expressive characters. It is a shoo-in to entertain those (young and old) who give it a read. I like it a lot and would recommend it.

(Charlotte is my 6 year old daughter) Charlotte chose this one as she loved the cover and wanted to know more. It isn't a long book and so she was able to read it aloud without annoying too many people. The characters are well presented and not just identical, they each had their own look. The way the story progresses was easy to follow along with the pictures. Most of the words were easy to read and so the story flowed without needing to stop and sound out the words and asking for explanations. That was until near the end when the word 'numskull' was used. This wasn't a word Charlotte had come across before and so I had to explain to her what it meant. Over all the book was cute, flowed well and entertaining with the twist at the end.

Charlotte's views:
"I liked the way the story says there is no rabbits but you can find rabbits hiding in the pictures. It was funny when the fox fell in the water. I really like the rabbits in the end. I want to read more like this book."

Highly recommended, great for young children and young readers.

The Woods is a colorful picture book with a cute and silly story. This would be a great addition to any little one's collection.

What a great story, my 3 year old loved it. Beautifully animated and perfect for his age. I would definitely buy this book. He named the foxes George!

I loved the book The Cave and have that on my shelves at home.
Seeing the same author and a new title I was immediately drawn to it. I cannot wait for this to come out in book form. I will be saving my book voucher for this publication.
Stunning illustrations, a funny story and a twist at the end- everything a perfect story needs!

I could imagine this being read aloud in a classroom or library and everyone guessing who the creature stalking the foxes might be, and why the foxes can't see the rabbits throughout the book. I found this to be particularly funny as they aren't far from the foxes, even though the foxes seem completely unaware of them.

I laughed out loud, admired the illustrations and enjoyed every page.

An excellent addition to any bookshelf!

The Woods, the newest release from Rob Hodgson, follows the story of three foxes as they go on a quest to track down some rabbits. In a quirky twist, the clever rabbits in this scenario are leading the foxes into a trap so they can, in fact, capture the foxes. It's amusing...kind of.

I'm a little underwhelmed by this book. Perhaps it will appeal more to children (which I guess is kind of the point) but I just found it a little bizarre. The story seems funny initially, but when you get to the end of the story it all seems a little senseless.

The illustrations are colourful and certainly have the same quirky factor as the story. I especially liked the way the rabbits were hidden throughout and imagine children will have fun trying to spot them. The purpose of the pink worm confused me but I did enjoy all the little underground scenes, such as the bear tucked up in his hibernation spot and the worm enjoying a night in front of the TV.

While this may appeal to some, it is not a book I would be purchasing for our 'Little Library'.

Although I really like the interplay this kind of picture book stimulates, the kids can outsmart the foxes by finding the rabbits that reportedly aren't there, I am disappointed by the ending.
I am sure that some kids will find it absolutely hilarious that the hunters become the hunted, but for me it is just a tad meh and uninspired. I also really do not like the use of the word st*pid. Totally unnecessary and, especially because this is a children's book, quite in poor taste.
Please google ableist slurs if you aren't sure what I am talking about.

So for me this one is a pass, but I have heard great things about The Cave so I will probably give that one a shot in the future.

I can see how this book will have an audience... but it's not me.

The illustrations are just okay. Actually, they're kind of weird. The stylized foxes are sort of funny, but they also don't look much like foxes, aside from their colouring. Also, what is up with the pink worm? When it's drawn wearing hats, it just looks phallic.

The main problem I have with this book is the story. The foxes go in search of rabbits to eat, following signs that someone has laid out for them. Eventually, we find out that it was the rabbits luring the foxes into a trap, and the book ends with all the foxes in the rabbits' giant net. Okay... but what happens next? Rabbits aren't carnivores (unless this is a really scary children's book), so what are they going to do with their bag of foxes? Why did they trap them in the first place? (Self-defense, maybe... but are they just planning on leaving them in the net forever?) It's kind of a weak ending.

Maybe this author/illustrator has fans that love the style and the quirky nature of the stories, but I don't think I'm going to be one of them. While I don't think this is a terrible book, I'm not in any hurry to read it again or seek out any of the author's other work.

This is such a fun book to read; the story and illustrations are quirky and certain to gain a chuckle from their intended audience.

Following on from The Cave, the first picture book for very young readers by this author, comes this second, similar title. It's not quite as good, but by now what appears to be the creator's shtick is laid out – silly and amusing tales where nature has a way of getting its own back, with large spreads peppered with tiny detail to look out for. No, the worm in every large image is not as amusing as the poor snail last time round, and the twist isn't as great here, but this tale of determined foxes hunting white rabbits across their domain is still certain to entertain.

A funny, simple, story about three foxes hunting for rabbits. Children will enjoy spotting the rabbits hiding on each page as they outsmart the foxes and follow them on their hunt.

I loved the illustrations in this book, particularly the double page spreads, but the best part for me was the worm, who follows the foxes' journey on each page.

This will be a popular addition to the school library.

I wasn't a very big fan on The Woods. I like the colorful illustrations but I wasn't sold on the story. The pictures and word count suggest this is for younger children but I didn't like some of the language ("stupid", "cursed" etc) and that would keep me from purchasing or borrowing to read with my kids.

A cute story with some of the same charm from his other book The Cave. Similar humour but I felt as though this book lacked a little something on the ending. Other than that it was perfectly fine with some cute illustrations.