School Library Journal Review
PreS-K--Papa Fox is searching for Baby in this simple, unassuming concept book about prepositions. Papa Fox looks up in a tree, inside a log, down a hole, and a plethora of other locations, but only finds other animals who are not his child. Meanwhile, hiding in the illustrations, Baby is clearly visible and follows Papa Fox as he searches. Finally, he returns to Mama Fox, declaring he cannot find Baby, until Mama Fox points out Baby has been hiding behind him all along. Papa Fox and his little one embrace, with Baby hoping they can go searching through the woods to meet different animals again. The artwork, which was rendered in ballpoint pen and colored pencil, is featured on expansive two-page spreads. The colors are muted and soft, adding to the quiet tone of the story. Young readers will enjoy spotting Baby in the illustrations, making this a fun read-aloud during group sharing. Although designed to teach children about prepositions, this element is never obtrusive or detracting to the storytelling. VERDICT A delightful picture book to teach children about prepositions in a subtle, charming way. Recommended.--Laura J. Giunta, Garden City Public Library, NY
Publisher's Weekly Review
"Have you seen Baby, Mama Fox?" Thus begins a search (and a sly introduction to prepositions) that leads Papa Fox to search up in a tree, inside a log, over a hill, down a hole, under some water, and around the bend, encountering a number of un-foxlike creatures, some of them more polite than others. ( "I am not your baby. Go away!" answers a grumpy skunk, and an affable ox responds, "I am not your baby. I'm Davy!") Hunter's simple but lively pen and colored pencil drawings allow the deadpan humor to ring out--all the characters, save one, are rendered in scratchy black and white atop a delicate blue sky, and the entire dialogue is delivered via hand-lettered speech bubbles. A small orange character hides just out of the searching animal's sight throughout the spreads until Papa Fox checks an obvious spot at Mama's behest--attentive readers will spot early on that Mama Fox is in on the game. The dramatic irony paired with Papa's earnest calls of "Ba-by!" make this a winner for interactive reading, and Baby's final request, "Can we do that again?" will ensure this fun and gently instructive story is repeated. Ages 3--7. (Jan.)
Horn Book Review
Have you seen Baby, Mama Fox? Mama Fox feels certain Baby is somewhere, and so Papa Fox begins the search, like a game of hide-and-seek. Ba-by! Are you indoors? Maybe Baby went out. Fine lines and crosshatching done with ballpoint pen and colored pencil accentuate patterns and detail while small pops of orange in the pale settings allow readersunlike Papato keep up with Baby. Baby follows behind Papa throughout, with the little foxs entertaining expressions anticipating potential tension as Papa bumbles into amusing or even precarious situations. Papa sticks his head in an old log and finds an annoyed skunk instead of Baby. Papa dips his head in the water and finds an ominous sharp-toothed fish rather than Baby (the animals refrain: I am not your baby). By the end, Mama kindly suggests Papa try looking behind him. Savvy readers will have noted that Mama Fox and Baby exchanged a wave before this adventure commenced and that everyone was one up on Papa Fox all along. Babys final questionHi Papa! Can we do that again?calls for repeated readings and, fittingly, the endpapers suggest that keeping up with Baby will be a recurring challenge. Julie Roach March/April 2020 p.60(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In a hiding game led by Baby Fox, Papa Fox searches the forest for his little one but neglects to look in one obvious place.Not finding his offspring indoors in their den, Papa Fox asks Mama where Baby might be, and she responds: "Why, Baby must be somewhere, Papa Fox." Papa heads out to find Baby and looks in, over, under, down, up, and around, encountering owl, skunk, bear, mouse, toothy fish, and bullbut no Baby Fox. Disheartened, Papa says, "Mama Fox, I can't find Baby anywhere." She responds knowingly, "Have you looked behind you, Papa Fox?" Readers will have seen that Mama has been in on the joke all along if they noticed, early on, Mama waving goodbye to Baby, who is quietly following Papa as he sets off on his search. The text is entirely composed of dialogue in speech balloons. Graceful, finely sketched pen-and-pencil drawings, primarily in black and gray against a pale blue backdrop, complement this exercise in identifying prepositions. Kids will play along with Baby, easily spotting his pointy ears and rusty-orange body, which pops against the otherwise muted palette. Reunited with Papa, Baby Fox asks, "Can we do that again?"encouraging multiple readings of this amusing story. Fun and instructive, this forest frolic will have kids eager to play along. (Picture book. 2-4) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
