She was very tired.
She lay down, her soft head on her soft paws.
The sunset licked her face.
The snow covered her like a blanket.
Fox wakes, and begins to walk. She crosses ice and snow, over mountains and across frozen oceans, encountering bears and birds beneath the endless daylight of an Arctic summer, navigating a world that is vast, wild and wondrous.
Meanwhile, Leila embarks on a journey of her own - finding her way to the mother who left her. On a breathtaking journey across the sea, Leila rediscovers herself and the mother she thought she'd lost, with help from a determined little fox.
Based on the true story of an Arctic fox who walked from Norway to Canada in seventy-six days, a distance of two thousand miles, this compelling, emotional and beautifully illustrated story is the perfect gift for 9+ readers.
There's a theme running through the books from this stellar pair; mother daughter relationships, and wild animals being wild animals. The fox is this book knows nothing about the human world, something that's often brought up in her narration, and the pictures featuring her are noticably rougher than the pictures featuring the human cast - although that might just be because I'm reading a proof, but I really hope not; it adds a lovely touch to the story.
And the story is amazing. Leila, like the Fox, is a young refugee, trying very hard not to remember her journey. The story mostly takes place in the Arctic circle, which is so well described that I had to put on a jumper, which doesn't sound that impressive until I tell you I was reading this on the hottest day this year. The Syria Leila and her family fled is also lovingly described, though those descriptions are more scattered and come as flashes and moments.
I really hope Kiran and Tom keep working together; there needs to be more books like this in the world, and they are exactly the people to create them.
Leila and the Blue Fox publishes on the 29th of September, 2022. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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