Oh, What a Surprise! (review)

Kids love surprises—at least, when “surprise” equals “gift”—and little Fox is no exception. She’s beside herself with excitement as her big polar bear pal, Bear, is working on a surprise present for someone: “I love surprises! Can I see? Can I help? Is it for me?” Somewhat dampened by Bear’s answer (“It’s not for you”), the fox heads over to see what her friend Goose is doing. Goose is also working on a surprise, but to Fox’s chagrin, it is also not for Fox (“But I love surprises,” Fox says to herself as she hunkers down sadly in a gift box). She rallies quickly, though, and decides to make her own surprise for Bear and Goose by wrapping herself in the box. As the time arrives for gift-giving, Fox implores them, “Open me first!” and Goose barely touches the gift box’s top before Fox ecstatically leaps out in a shower of colored paper hearts: “Ta da! It’s me. For you!” Goose and Bear are delighted with Fox’s surprise, but not as delighted as Fox is to discover that her two pals have, in fact, been making something for her—a snazzy green vest with two bright buttons.

Bloom’s text is perfectly age-appropriate both in terms of mechanics (straightforward storytelling, simple vocabulary, short sentence structure) and content. Little Fox’s eager dialogue and actions are not only amusing, they also skillfully mirror the exuberant behavior of youngsters who love the bustle and secrecy of holiday gift-giving but find the waiting difficult. The playful back-and-forth between the characters is readaloud gold, and the simple text also makes this accessible to kids capable of reading Willems’ Elephant and Piggie series on their own.

Bloom’s art manages to capture both the chill of winter and the coziness of fur, feathers, and friendship through her skillful use of color and texture. The warm tones of the chestnut-colored fox and the saturated hues of the handmade gifts contrast pleasingly with the deep blues and soft whites of the backgrounds and the other animals; looking at Bear’s cobalt blue paw pads, one can almost feel the cold, while the dynamic little Fox practically radiates heat in her red-brown fur. Brushy lines capably evoke the fluffy fur of Bear’s icy white coat and Fox’s bottle-brush tail, and the thickly textured and blended application of the oil pastels lends further substance and richness to the figures and backgrounds as well. Little Fox is a lively and winsome figure as she capers about in giddy anticipation, tries on the various gifts to comic effect, and sadly pulls her pointed ears over her eyes when it seems there will be no forthcoming gift for her. Bear and Goose are similarly animated in their depictions when interacting with Fox: Bear, for example, must whip the scarf he is knitting away from the slightly-too-enthusiastic Fox, while Goose raises her wings in sudden joyful surprise when Fox leaps out of her box.

There are numerous uses for this satisfying book: as an easy reader, as a readaloud selection for a holiday-themed storytime, as an inspirational springboard to a session of homemade gift-making, or as a holiday gift itself (perhaps packaged with paper-heart confetti). Readers who latch onto this adorable animal trio via this title may want to also seek out Bloom’s previous books about Bear, Goose, and Fox (What About Bear?, BCCB 4/10, etc.). No matter how or why it’s read, though, kids are likely to clamor at book’s end, like Fox, “Let’s do it again!” (See p. 187 for publication information.)