Winner of the 2005 Diamond Willow Award
A Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice 2005
2006-2007 Red Cedar Book Award Nomination
Children's Crown Award nominee
For the first month of her life, Amber lives only in the den she shares with her four brothers. When at last they are ready to leave the den in late spring, Amber and the other kits overcome their fears quickly. In no time they are tumbling over each other in their eagerness to explore the delights of the world above. But playtime will soon be over. As the summer flies by, Amber's parents teach the lessons that are crucial to their survival. Foxes have many enemies, and they must learn to outwit foes stronger and faster than they are.
By fall, Amber's parents have left, and her brothers have gradually gone their separate ways. Amber still has much to learn. Driven by hunger and fear, she will use every instinct and intelligence she possesses to feed herself and stay safe. One day she will be ready to find a mate and raise a family of her own.
Author Shirley Woods' love of the natural world shines in this accurate portrayal of a young fox's life. A wealth of factual information about foxes is carefully woven into a story filled with adventure and suspense.
About the Author: Shirley Woods always loved nature. After leaving school he served for three years in the Royal Canadian Regiment. After that he was a businessman, which is when he wrote seven non-fiction books, including The Squirrels of Canada for the National Museum. In order to devote more time to writing, Mr. Woods retired in 1989 and moved to Nova Scotia. He and his wife Sandrea live in the country near Halifax. Their house, which they share with four dogs, is on a hill overlooking the sea.
Celia Godkin trained as a biologist and worked as a scientific illustrator. An illustration job preparing signs for the Winnipeg zoo led to a collaboration on the book Endangered Species: Canada's Disappearing Wildlife. Encouraged by this success Celia illustrated an ecology story she had written years earlier and showed it to her publisher. The resulting book, Wolf Island, won the Children's Literature Roundtables Best Information Book Award and led to a succession of information storybooks.
