Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Mr. Badger and Mrs. Fox: What a Team!
Illustrator: Eve Tharlet
Graphic Novel Series
For ages 5 to 7
Lerner, 2011 ISBN: 978-0761356332
It is fall and the badger brothers, Bristle and Grub, and their woodland friends are having a contest to see who can execute the best jump into a pile of leaves. Then Ginger the fox cub turns up. Ginger wants to build a boat and she invites the other young animals to join her. Ginger’s plan sounds exciting so all the animals trot off with her, and Bristle, who wants to finish the jumping contest, is left standing alone.
Later, down at the river, Ginger gets to work, and when Bristle and Grub join her, they find her looking for a log that will serve as a mast. Bristle proceeds to tell Ginger that making a sailboat is “stupid” because the river is too narrow to accommodate such a boat. Not too surprisingly, Ginger does not appreciate Bristle’s comments. She is fed up with Bristle because he is always trying to take charge and because always thinks that any idea that isn’t his is silly. A rift forms between the young animals and Bristle suggest that he and Ginger build two boats and then they will see “whose boat is the best.”
Bristle fully expects his brother Grub to join him, but Grub is fed up with his brother’s competitive attitude and he bands together with the other animals to make a boat. So now there are three boats in the competition.
Learning how to compromise and how to work with others as a team isn’t easy. It is especially difficult if you are young and rather opinionated, like Bristle. In this delightful graphic novel we see how some young and quarrelsome animals figure out that working together as a team is so much better than working alone.
