The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night <small> by Peter Spier</small>

bookcover of Fox Went Out On A Chilly Night

The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night is one of my all time favorites. The text consists of one version of an old folk song, general known as “The Fox.” There are probably several dozen versions of this particular song, likely even more. I know of at least nine myself. The one used in this work is from a Burl Ives recording done in 1945. I was and am a big fan of Ives, so this book has been a real treat for me. The song originated from a poem, written in the 14th for 15th century in Middle English. I can remember versions sung of this song at various gatherings back to the late 1940s. This particular work was originally published about 1961 i.e. the Spire’s version…not to be confused with one written by Wendy Watson which is a good work itself.

Anyway, the text consists of the words to the old song and this is a wonderful sing-along book. The art work by Peter Spier is some of the best. It is extremely detailed, the colors are wonderfully blended and even though they are actual paintings, they give a true feeling of being there. The story consists of a fox who goes out on a chilly night and visits the hen/goose/duck house of a local farmer in or near a village. The fox does this in order to feed his family. The book is the picture and word story of his journey there and back with the meal for his family. I note that there is some disagreement here as to the location of this story. It certainly took place (the story) during the late 1800s or possibly the early 1900s. The setting is rural. If I were to give a guess, I would say it probably took place in New England, possibly Massachusetts, Connecticut or Penn. Of course you could make a pretty good argument for Virginia also, but the civil war monuments shown in the book look to me more Union than Southern. Yes indeed folks, they do grow tobacco in New England. There are several pictures of tobacco drying sheds in the book. There are also pictures of covered bridges and wonderful details of the country side, farm and village.

The illustrations alternate between full color and black and white sketch type drawings. I personally find this technique quite appealing. I know the kids to which I read this book to don’t seem to be bothered a bit by it. In fact, I have caught several of them trying to copy some parts of the black and white drawings. I do love the author’s use of color, shades and his minute attention to detail.

Now, parents do take note: The fox does indeed kill the old goose and makes off with a duck to boot. There are not graphic details of this other than the fox family finishing off the cooked bones after their wonderful meal. Some parents may feel that their child may have problems with this. To be honest, this is where parenting comes in. Each parent knows, or should know, what his kid can or cannot handle and at what age. I personally have no problems with it. The fox is acting according to his nature and yes, foxes do indeed raid hen houses. (Goodness knows I have lost enough chickens to the little guys). Again though, this should be the parent’s call.

There is another note of interest and suggestion. This book is ideal to introduce the young reader to Middle English. A quick web search can provide the text of the original poem, along with many versions of this song. It is interesting to see how our language has developed and evolved over the years.

All in all, there is little not to like about this book. The art work is wonderful, you cannot beat the text, you get a great sing-along book and I have found that kids love the thing. I have used this particular work from Kindergarten up through the seventh and eight grades. Adults also enjoy listening to it.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night by Peter Spier
**Caldecott Honor Book**