Book Review: Argyle Fox by Marie Letourneau

Argyle Fox is a picturebook by Marie Letourneau. Argyle Fox, with his signature style, wants to play outside on a springtime day, but the wind is 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, here comes the wind: Woosh! Mama Fox tells grumpy Argyle that if he thinks long enough, he will come up with something to do. Following his mother’s suggestion and inspired by her knitting, he works all the pieces of his day together and creates the perfect solution.

Argyle Fox is the story of a young fox determined to play outside, but the wind is making his favorite games impossible to play. I like that he has so many ready options, and that he is willing to keep trying. I was a little annoyed at the need for all the crazy cool props that Fox had to play with, rather than the use of pure imagination and playing with friends. HOwever, when he finally gets around to his final activity attempt he uses some of those props to build his new springtime toy. I understand that he needed some of that stuff to make that possible, and that it made his previous play attempts that much more heartfelt, but I still would have liked more imagination and less costume. That being said, I still loved the book and wish I had some of thase play props when I was a kid.

Argyle Fox is  a well drawn picturebook with a nice blend of imagination, lesson sharing, and fun. I love the message about creative thinking and the need to keep on trying. I think it would make a nice addition to school and public library collections.