Author: Clyde Watson
Illustrator: Wendy Watson
Publisher: 1971, HarperCollins Publishers; Reprint edition, 2001
Age: 3 and up
Themes: Nursery rhymes, children’s poetry
Opening: The sky is dark, there blows a storm. Our cider is hot, the fire is warm. The snow is deep & the night is long: Old Father Fox, will you sing us a song?
Summary: (from Amazon) Full of vim, vigor, and robust silliness, Father Fox’s Pennyrhymes is at long last back in print. Father Fox and his russet-furred, pointy-nosed family romp through the pages of these original American nursery rhymes, written and illustrated in the early 1970s by a pair of Vermonter sisters, Clyde and Wendy Watson. Each two-page spread features a quirky little verse on one side and framed pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations on the other. The extensive Fox family, in their patchwork-mended clothes, tumble over one another as they depict the very rhymes their father tells.
Why I like this book: I have a real weakness for nursery rhymes, so when someone mentioned this volume I rushed to put it on hold at the library. I love the humor and lightness in the illustrations too. Can hardly wait to share it with my little neighbor, Penelope. As soon as I get another chance to babysit!
Resources/Activities: read more nursery rhymes; nursery rhymes in a foreign language are a fun way to share a language you may speak but your young one does not, without the pressure of ‘teaching’.
For more Perfect Picture Book picks with teacher/parent resources, check out the list on Susanna Hill’s blog HERE.
julie rowan-zoch 
Tried to comment. Said I was lost. I too love Father Fox. Great rhymes. Great art. But also was my friend, Wendy Watson, who encouraged me to go to NY and make rounds. This was before paper making. I got illustration work at Random House. And so it began. Wendy is a fabulous person. Extremely talented.
Sent from my iPad
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Thanks for sharing that about Wendy and your journey, Denise!
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You always know how to find such great books no longer in print. Reminds me a bit of what I read as a child. I like nursery rhymes too. Love the title and cover! I think you picked the perfect book today for those who are dealing with the blizzard.
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Books are the perfect blizzard companion!
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I love the beautiful illustration you included in your PPBF review. It reminds me of the illustrations from books I grew up with – so filled with details that with each reading you discover more to enjoy.
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Glad you like it!
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Those illustrations remind me of yours! How interesting that it was reprinted after so many years.
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Really? Foxes are my favorite animals, and these are such a charming bunch!
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I just love repeating “Father Fox” over and over again. Lovely alliteration. I love wordplay, so this one’s going on my TBR list. Thanks!
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I know you’ll like it!
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I love how different all those foxes look. I love your knack of finding resilient older Picture Books.
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I’ll tell you my secret – take a LOT of books out of the library. Every week!
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That negative space on the cover is mesmerizing! You always choose the coolest art for your PPBF!
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Suppose I do lean that way, don’t I?
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I remember reading these to my boys when they were little and I may have it somewhere. So glad it is back in print. Thanks for sharing such lovely illustrations from it as well.
I love the cover. 🙂
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Loved this new to me book and went wandering down the rabbit hole on the Internet learning all about the uber-talented Watson family. Amazing.
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Glad you felt so inspired!
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