Pax: A Beautifully Illustrated Novel of Love, Loss, and the Unexpected Friendship Between a Young Boy and a Fox

Being an animal lover, I was drawn by the quiet beauty of this book’s cover. Who couldn’t love a small red fox, sitting atop a wooded ridge, and looking out over the fields and valleys below him?Having not read any reviews of this book (shame on me), I expected a cute tale of a fox’s romp through the woods. What I got was a story of life and learning to depend on one’s self.Twelve year old Peter has been caring for Pax, a 5 year old red fox, since the animal was merely a few days old. The fox’s mother and sibling were killed and the kit was left to fend for itself. Peter brought it home, named it Pax, and they became the best of friends. Each worried about the other when they were separated even for a short time (think school day). One day Peter’s father announces that since he’s enlisted in an ongoing war, Peter must go to live with his grandfather. And Pax must be returned to the wild to fend for himself.For an animal whose only life has been one of semi-domestication, the reality of life is crushing. Enemies and predators on all sides drive the fox the near starvation. But a meeting with a vixen – Bristle – and her younger brother Runt – changes Pax’s life. Brushes with the war-sick (soldiers) and their devious and deadly ways introduce Pax to the harsh realities of life. He yearns for his boy, fearing only the worst for the lad at the hands of the soldiers. Through it all the fox never loses hope that they will be reunited.It doesn’t take long for young Peter to realize that he should never have left Pax in the wilderness. He worries how the domesticated animal will forage for food and water; and what of the coyotes who will look upon Pax as a meal? How will his buddy outwit them? Peter leaves a note for his grandfather and takes off on the 300 mile trek back to where Pax was left. But it won’t be an easy journey as he soon learns.For both Peter and Pax, this separation is a journey inward, into their deepest well of self-reliance. Peter must learn to set himself free of memories of his mother and find his inner strength; he must adapt to working with others and seeing that he’s not the only one carrying a burden that prevents his growth. Pax must adapt to the ways of the wild – searching and killing for food, making alliances that will keep him alive, trusting his instincts, and hardening himself to the wily guiles of the soldiers.Pax is not a typical Young Adult book in that it can be bleak and dark; but it will help youngsters learn about loss, grief, and ultimately death. War is never an easy topic and we are most often provided with its impact on human life. This story brings us the other side of war – we see how it affects even the smallest of God’s creatures.I would caution parents to read the book first to determine the suitability for sensitive youngsters.Pax by Sara Pennypacker is destined to be a classic. There is a second volume called Pax: The Journey Home that I hope to read soon.

I was drawn to this book because I live where there are foxes and I find them fascinating. Though this may be considered a middle school book and I am in my 70’s, I decided to try it anyway. After all, when my child was in middle school, there were a lot of books we shared that I really enjoyed. I was glad Igave it a try, because I found it an utterly charming and endearing story. I will immediately go on to the second book to see what happens to the characters next.And speaking of characters, I must say that the author was very adept at creating believable, and interesting characters (human and animal) whom I know will stay in my mind for a long time. The observations on war and humans’ effect on nature are quite thought provoking, and I think excellent food for thought for younger readers. I highly recommend this book!

Yes, this book is dark, I wouldn’t recommend it to a family who likes to keep topics exclusively light and cheery but for my precocious 8-1/2-year-old daughter and I, it was perfect. For starters, finding books that match my kid’s emotional intelligence, vocabulary and interests is difficult to say the least. Sadly, so many of the chapter books we have read feel shallow, or just plain boring. ‘Pax’ was neither.Supposed caveats.There were times when she had to ask what a word meant and I even looked one up myself. I actually enjoy that (we’re learning!) Once or twice my daughter remarked on how sad it was that these bad things kept happening to Peter. I could see how a particularly fearful kid would become agitated by this, but it otherwise makes for good discussion. We both found the war a bit confusing contextually, as in, when and where is this set? Who is fighting who and why? There isn’t any mention of technology that dates past the seventies, or mention of nationality. I imagine the author kept it vague so as to focus on the ideas on hand and I came to appreciate the simplification.In defense of dark themes.‘Pax’ is heavy from the start. In the first book Peter, our protagonist, experiences one profound traumatic life event after another and while his struggle to overcome great obstacles to survive is perhaps more than most kids living in America will come to live through, Peter’s heartbreak is surely not. Anyone who has ever lost a pet, a family member, a friend, a limb, or a dream knows that loss is not a feeling exclusive to adults. Having your heart broken and fearing to trust others can happen to anyone.Redemption.Now for the good part. What really makes these books important is hope. Despite all of the trauma and loss Peter goes through, after seemingly losing all trust in emotional intimacy, he begins to heal. Peter does not go through the rest of his life fearing love and joy and closeness. Being able to witness someone come back from a dark place and learn to trust again delivers the incredibly important message that there is always hope. Something we all need reminding of from time to time.In conclusion, if you’re looking for something to read together with your 8+ year old kid and you aren’t afraid of dark themes, this is the ticket. I would not recommend only reading the first book as it is really just part one and ends on a fairly somber note. Read both; one after the other. If you and your child enjoyed ‘Hatchet’ by Gary Paulson, ‘Coraline’ by Neil Gaiman and or Disney’s ‘The Fox and the Hound’ you should be good to go.Hope you found this helpful! Happy reading!

I get this four stars I just find it very annoying that the pages are not cut aligned they are all different and I find it a little bit annoying I bought this book because my daughter was reading it in school and I think it is better for a child to read out of the actual book instead of online. Some pages are longer and some are cut shorter. The quality of the paper is nice it's a thicker paper which I do like. But I actually think I might inquire about getting an exchange because I just find it rather annoying how the pages aren't all the same size it is a very good book for children ages 8 to 11 I'm 40 and I still enjoyed the book lol