Left alone when his friends hibernate, Nico the fox makes a friend from snow and befriends a real snow fox in the process.

Nico is a little red fox that spends spring, summer and autumn with his three friends, Ava, Olive and Linus. When his woodland friends hibernate for the winter, Nico is left all alone in a snowy wonderland. He unsuccessfully searches for a friend to keep him company during the long winter. To pass time, Nico builds a fox from snow. Little does he know, he’s about to become friends with a real snow fox. A story about cherishing old friends, perseverance, and making new friends.

• A charming story about cherishing old friends and making new ones, set during the start of winter hibernation when fox’s usual friends are getting ready to take a season off.
• Exquisite, gentle, beautifully designed illustrations.
• A story with a relaxing tone that takes readers through the four seasons.

“Shojaie’s debut picture book gently extols the virtues of making different friends in different seasons of life.” —Publishers Weekly(U.S.)

“The illustrations, rendered in soft, pale washes of tan, gray, green, and white, evoke an ethereal, indistinct woodland background, enhancing the still atmosphere of the spare text. … A quiet tale of friendship with a delightful surprise twist.” —Kirkus Reviews (U.S.)

Rosemary Shojaie is an author-illustrator based in Rochester, NY. She attended the University of Rochester and the Cambridge School of Art, where she received her MA in Children’s Book Illustration. Her first picture book, The Snow Fox, was published by Starfish Bay Publishing in 2020. Rosemary’s work generally involves a combination of graphite pencil, colored pencil, pastels, and gouache, and she is currently enjoying experimenting with linocut and other printmaking techniques.

Fountas & Pinnell Guided Reading Levels

Guided Reading Level: J

Grade Level Equivalent: 1

Educational Descriptions

Picture book, Life science context: animals & seasons, habitat, Story elements: setting: The woodlands, plot and character development, main character, Nico the red fox, problem and solution, speech bubbles, Illustrations enhance meaning and tone, Comprehension strategies: Predicting outcomes, sequence events, identify cause and effect relationships, & changes from beginning to end of the story. Themes: our natural world, hibernation, animals, loneliness, friendship.

Interest Age: 4 to 7 years

Reading Age: 6 to 8 years

RRP: $24.99

ISBN: 978-1-76036-099-3

Format: Hardback

World rights available, except for France, Australia, Canada, China, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the US.