BOOKS
Created: 29th August, 2017

Pax

Author: Sara Pennypacker
Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Publisher: HarperCollins

Peter’s father goes away to war, taking him to stay with his grandfather before leaving. Before he does this, they drive Peter’s tame fox, Pax, many miles away and leave him to return to the wild. Alternate chapters focus on Peter and Pax, each indicated by a silhouette head. Neither boy nor fox wants to be parted and each embarks on an emotional and physical journey. Will reunion be possible?

Sara Pennypacker manages to convey what may be in the mind of the fox without anthropomorphising the animal. The language used evokes all the senses and both words and pictures are beautifully subtle in this moving novel.