Jane, the fox and me by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault
Walker, 2013. ISBN: 9781406353044.
Highly recommended for ages 10+. Helene's life is sheer hell! For no
apparent reason, her 'friends' suddenly begin to ostracise her,
plaster her name and rude messages over the walls of the toilet
cubicle and spread gossip and negativity about her throughout the
school. With their rudeness, particularly about her weight, Helene
begins to doubt herself and any self-esteem she may once have had
disappears. Her only escape from their cruelty is to disappear into
the world of her favourite book, Jane Eyre. When the entire
class is treated to an outdoor camp, especially for them, it seems
that her worst nightmare is about to begin as she is left with the
other students who fit the group of outcasts. Afraid she is about to
be teased and harassed again, Helene is about to take flight, when
she realises that it is not other students who have come to seek her
out but a fox which has instead appeared. The connection between the
two is sadly severed as another child emerges from the tent and
scares the fox away. Shortly thereafter, Geraldine, a newcomer, is
banished to the outcasts' tent and befriends Helene. Immediately,
the story changes and the way is paved for a happy ending.
As one who has always loved picture books but not been a particular
fan of graphic novels or books, I felt this beautifully spanned the
genres and I eagerly devoured the story. Beginning with dull grey
colours, reflecting the mood of the protagonist, throughout the bulk
of Helene's story, there is the sudden addition of red tones to the
images as Jane's tale is outlined. Immediately the focus returns to
Helene's life, so too the colours revert to the dreary greys. As the
story progresses, the illustrations of Jane's world have greens
added and later shades of blue. At no stage is Helene's world imbued
with colour until such time as she meets the fox. This is
short-lived, thanks to the arrival of Suzanne Lipsky, warning her of
the dangers of fraternising with such a creature. As her friendship
with Geraldine grows, so too does Helene's self-esteem and the
colour begins to seep into the real life component of the story.
As a text about growth, self-development and bullying, this would be
great to share with middle to upper primary classes. There are many
aspects of the book to use as a focus. From the use of colour to the
variation in fonts and italic style handwritten text to the layout
of the various pages, this title has much to offer all students.
Jo Schenkel