An important book, and a success of one, but still one that was not quite there. It's about the separation of a fox family – Mummy and Daddy are better off just being friends than being married, and their own adventures await each of them separately. But of course the kids have to be told, and have to understand, and have to have the space and time to ask all their questions and get all their emotions worked through. The visuals are quite distinctive here, being of a sort of semi-pointillist style, but all told the script is not perfect. The bulk of the time it wants to tell the narrative, which is clearly intended to be readable for children. But at separate times in the short text there was a bit directed definitely at the adults, and another beat pointedly focused at the kids. Oh, and it changes from past to present tense at the speed of, well, a fox.

That said, I think a simple piece like this will have a lot of impact and benefit. I've not been divorced – not had the necessary earlier steps, either, thanks for asking – but I don't think someone going through it would race to the bookstores and try and find something like this out. This is to be given as a gift, a token of encouragement from someone that cares to someone in the throes of it all, and if they see this they will probably see a lot of fine, concise and sensible advice and affirmation on these pages for their friends. So while I personally felt the need for greater clarity of audience, I can see people gifting this happily rating this four stars as they pass it on.

Here's a book I wish I liked more than I do. It's a picture book about divorce, and how this affects the children, and to reassure them they are not forgotten, and their feelings matter, all told through a family of foxes - parents and two cubs.

The art is lovely, beautifully painted. But the writing isn't all there. It tends to fall into the trap of using what I call 'therapy speak' - so you have a line like "Your feelings are valid". I mean, I agree with the sentiment, but who talks to their children like that?

Later on there's this bit, regarding the divorce: "There was nothing the Cubs did or said that made this happen. And there is nothing they could say that could change this from happening. It is simply meant to be this way." I get what the author is trying to convey here - it's not the kids' fault, and they're also trying to avoid laying blame on one of the parents. But "It is simply meant to be this way" hits me wrong. It's still the parents' choice, and I think you have to be honest about that to children, not make it sound like something that just sort of seems to happen to the family.

Beautifully written story with colourful illustrations gently explaining divorce/separation to young children. Would definitely recommend this book to be used by ELSAs & Nurture Practitioners in schools to help children understand the loss of the family dynamic whilst coming to terms with a new way of living together.

i believe this is the first book i have ever seen that helps a kid through their parents divorce, as a kid of divorce i think a book like this could have really helped me then, so i hope it helps some kids in the same spot now

What an emotional read which delicately explored the concept of divorce.

It explored the topic in a child friendly way and really focused on ensuring the child would understand the situation.

What a touching way to ensure that any child going through divorce feels less alone. It lets them know that others may be going through the same thing and that they are still loved and that the situation is not their fault.

The illustrations in the book were beautifully done and really added to the emotion of the story.

This book aims to help children deal with the trauma of divorce as healthily as possible. The story is told through the experience of a fox family where the parents are divorcing, but want to make the important point to their cubs that the parents will remain on friendly terms.

The book reinforces many of the messages that separating parents will wish to give their children, including that they will always love their kids, who are not in any way responsible for what is happening.

Although it is clearly well intentioned and contains all the right messages, I did not feel that the style of storytelling was particularly appealing. In fact, it reads more like a list of core messages than a story of any kind. And this is one scenario where I think that the offering would have benefited from strengthening the storytelling element in order to get messages across more subtly and effectively. Adequate but not exciting. It gets 2.5 stars.

Friendly Foxes follows two foxes explaining their divorce to their children, with key messages of love, grace, and acknowledging emotions.

Sometimes the story was a little jumpy, from past to present tense, or from talking to the foxes versus the audience. Some children might need some extra support understanding some of the language or phrases. However the story is a great resource for normalising and validating children’s experiences, and start a conversation about life after divorce. I loved the chunky brush strokes and vibrant illustrations, and I think the imagery is a great focus when talking through the story.

The story also felt very authentic, and you could feel the reflection and empathy of the author through her words.

Thank you Atmosphere Press, and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

Truthfully, the number one reason I picked up this book was because it was about foxes. I’m not sure I would have bothered without that.

When all is said and done, though, <i>Friendly Foxes</i> is one of those books that’s really tough to rate because, while I don’t think I would be singing this book’s praises or talk excitedly about beautiful writing, there’s a lot of emotional worth to the book and the impact it will likely have on a great number of children cannot be understated.

Some kids, unfortunately or fortunately depending on their situation, might need a book like this. Some children are going to have to experience a lot of feelings centered around their parents’ divorce. And though I don’t think this book offers any significant nuance to the subject—it’s very typical of what you hear and are told in situations like this—I can guarantee that there will be healing for some children and even some parents who find this book on there shelves.

That’s important, no matter the opinion of the writing overall.

Divorce can be difficult for kids as they don't understand why parents split up. As children read this book or are read to, they can learn about healthily expressing their feelings. I enjoyed this book as it teaches children that change is not always for the worst. I liked how this book also shines a light on a parent's love for them. The illustrations are vibrant and well-designed. I would suggest this book to any parent struggling to talk with their children about the big changes in their lives.

I loved this!! I don't think I've read a picture book on divorce before and I loved that it was appropriate for little kids, while still keeping them interested because of the cute animals. The illustrations are beautiful! The explanations were really simple. It validates children's feelings in a divorce while also explaining what sort of changes will happen.

The artwork is so cute!! I love that this book exists and can help make the conversation easier for kids to understand if their parents have to go through a similar situation. There were a couple of words that did seem a little advanced for kids (for example, feelings being “valid”) but using this type of language can also lead to deeper discussions about what that means, so I don’t feel like it was necessarily a bad choice. I did want it to be a few pages longer but overall, 4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

3.5 stars!

This must be the first children’s book I ever read dealing with divorce! I like how it mentioned that the fox parents’ separation wasn’t the cubs fault and I thought the author highlighting “how we feel is important” was well done, too.

I do wish the narration wasn’t so inconsistent and jump between present and past voice all the time. There was another instance in which quotation marks were missing, making something one of the fox parents said suddenly part of the narrator’s speech, once again messing up the tonality of the story.

Otherwise really cute and the gouache/watercolour paintings fit the story well!