a dapper boy and smart as a fox

a few weeks ago, i received a copy of this adorable new picture book, Argyle Fox, written and illustrated by Marie LeTourneau, so i could share it with our readership. i just love the illustrations for this simple story!

argyle lives in the woods with his mama (who we assume is the creator of his many dapper garments and accessories!).

while he loves hanging around with mama and knitting sometimes knitting along, he also loves to play outdoors and is very creative in making his activities come to life.

one spring day, the wind was wreaking havoc with his fun and games. as soon as he builds a card tower, climbs into a giant spider web, or takes up his pirate sword, down came the wind wreck everything.

Argyle goes home in a huff to sulk, despairing that he will not beat the wind and he may as well not try. but mama tells argyle that if he thinks long enough, he will come up with something to do.

following her suggestion and inspired by her knitting, he gets busy and works all the pieces of his day together to come up with a perfectly crafted solution.

can you guess what it is? i will leave it to your imagination or for you to discover on your own by reading the book!

argyle fox is a wonderful story to read to children who are getting interested in books (like my 2-year-old grand nephew eli), or for the beginning reader; the words are simple and the print is large, while the illustrations are rich with detail and style.

it’s genius to create a story where the child protagonist solves a problem by putting his favorite crafting activities to an industrious use. we see that with a little ingenuity, concentration, and clever crafting skills, we can “fix” a troublesome situation. in this case at least, “a busy child is a happy child”!

and speaking of solutions, this would be perfect for a little one’s easter basket if you are looking for something sugarless and more lasting to add (along with handknits, of course).

and best of all, tanglewood press has offered a giveaway copy of argyle fox for knitspot readers! leave a comment at the end of this post by
9 pm EDST on friday and tell me your guess about which game argyle came up with that plays nicely with the wind. we’ll pick a winner and announce it over the weekend!