Kindergarten-Grade 3–The late Afghan writer begins this tale with, Once upon a time, when the moon grew on a tree and ants were fond of pickles, there was a lovely brown fox. He meets a man who promises him a chicken and then gives him a heavy sack. The man tells Rowba to hide in the bushes so other farmers will not see him eating the chicken. The sack is full of stones, and the fox is soon caught in a net. Using a sharp stone from the sack, he cuts a hole in the net and escapes. Mallam's rich full-color illustrations in a folk style evoke an unfamiliar culture, while the clever fox reminds readers of characters in familiar fables. The bottoms of some pictures tell small stories, and more lessons can be learned here than merely why it is so difficult to catch a fox.
