Looking for a Christmas story for your kids? The Christmas Fox by Anik McGrory is a simple, yet sweet, story to read for the wintry holiday.
The story starts with a woodpecker telling the fox that a baby is coming, and the news must be spread. Instead of responding, the fox just dances in the snow. Many people act like this around Christmastime. They don’t appear to care about Jesus as much as they care about the Christmas fun.
The cow, the lamb, and the bird tell the fox that gifts must be given, like a warm place, soft wool, and songs to sing. But the fox plays with an acorn he found. That night, still carrying his acorn, the fox comes near a lit stable underneath a giant star surrounded by littler stars. He feels the stars whispering, Come. There is light to shine to brighten the path.
He comes closer to the stable but feels uncertain. He has nothing to give the baby―no wool like the sheep, no warm place like the cow, no song like the bird, and no light like the stars. Maybe underneath all his not caring about Jesus, he has been feeling inadequate because of his lacking these gifts.
However, the donkey tells the fox to come as he is. The fox approaches the baby in the manger and stands on his hind paws, ears flicked forward and bushy tail up. “And the little fox brought joy…and the baby smiled.” He even gives the acorn he was playing with to the baby (Interesting fact: the author did dedicate this book to someone who brings her joy and “also acorns.”).
This story shows us that we don’t have to have “big” gifts for God, like million-dollar tithes, missionary work, being in music ministry, or anything like that. Small gifts matter to him, including the “small gift” of just being with him. Even if the fox doesn’t give Jesus the acorn, Jesus would love the fox and be happy with his presence. After all, Jesus made him, just as he made that acorn.
The fox has lively facial expressions, and his tail looks so plush. The last picture has an adorable illustration of him snuggling up to a sheep, his tail burying his face. In the illustrations, the sun reflects beautiful colors off the snow, including pale gold, purple, pink, and blue. The scenery looks more like the wintry Western world than Israel’s Middle Eastern climate, and the baby Jesus radiates light instead of looking like a regular baby. However, despite these historical inaccuracies, the joy of being in Christ’s presence shines through. And the story radiates the love Christ has for everyone—including those who don’t have “big gifts.”
Give the gift of Christmas with this beautiful holiday tale that celebrates the true meaning of the season.
“Come!” drummed a woodpecker one cold, wintry day. “A baby is coming. There’s work to be done!”
One by one, from field and forest, the animals make their way to a barn. The cow has sweet-smelling hay to offer the baby. The bluebird has the gift of song. And a lamb has soft, cozy wool. But the shy little fox has nothing to offer . . . or so he thinks.
With its gentle text and warm, expressive illustrations, this irresistible take on the Nativity story invites even the youngest child to discover the truest gifts of the Christmas season: the ones that come from the heart.
I enjoyed your re-telling of this fun and meaningful story, Jennifer.
Hi, Dave. The review was actually by K.A. Ramstad, one of our bloggers. 😊 Thanks for stopping by!