Old Mother Giggle-Gaggle

The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night was my first Peter Spier book, but certainly not the last.  Spier, who passed away in 2017, was a Dutch artist who emigrated from the Netherlands after surviving WWII and imprisonment in a concentration camp.  He illustrated dozens of children's books, and occasionally authored them, as well.  More often, however, he used existing source material, whether poems, Bible stories, or folk songs, as is the case here.

The story, such as it is, is simply a fox's nighttime exploits in raiding a henhouse, except that the fox is the protagonist rather than his usual role as wily villain.  My children love "song books" like this one, where the lyrics to a song are set out with accompanying illustrations.  I am never permitted to simply read the lyrics--on pain of death, I must sing the song every time.  Helpfully, the music is included at the end of the book in staff notation for those who don't know the tune or would like to play it on the piano.

Spier's books always have a strong sense of place.  In the case of Fox, that means fall in a New England village sometime in the nineteenth century.  Anyone who has ever been to Vermont will instantly recognize the stone walls, covered bridges, and clapboard churches, all laid out in beautifully detailed pen and watercolor illustrations. 

Looking at the pictures closely pays off--I love that since "Old Mother Giggle-Gaggle" is a character in the song, Spier makes sure to include some other members of the Giggle-Gaggle family on the tombstones in the local cemetery.

Fox is fairly well-known, since it won a Caldecott Honor, but many of Spier's books are hard to find.  I hope to review some more of his work in the future, but in the meantime, please enjoy this fun sing-along with your little ones.

Ages: 3-5

Rating: A+