the story of Christmas

I love Christmas and each year I look forward to reviving those traditions that make me feel festive—and creative. For the past three years I’ve written straight through the holidays. Last year I wrote Fox & Crow, which is now available online (you can try ordering it from your favorite bookstore in a couple of days). It was inspired, in part, by the PBS special “Christmas in Yellowstone.” I fell in love with the red fox in that Nature special and was thrilled when Babs Webb recreated the hunting scene for the first illustration in our book. I used to say that almost everything I wrote could be traced back to PBS, but Fox & Crow: A Christmas Tale was also inspired by two videos that were posted by friends on Facebook. One showed a little fox approaching two hunters or soldiers for help getting a jar off his head, and the other showed a crow using the lid of a jar to sled down a snowy rooftop. To bring the animals together I thought about Aesop’s famous fable and imagined their rivalry continuing in a contemporary North American suburb; Babs lives in Colorado so her illustrations reflect that landscape. Fox and Crow fear humans and generally hold them in contempt, but on Christmas Eve, the two creatures encounter members of a family that has been touched by illness. Here’s the summary:

Fox and Crow are old friends who enjoy trying to outsmart one another. One winter evening, mischievous Crow plays a trick that leaves Fox with his head stuck in an empty jar! Instead of helping her friend, Crow flies off to have an adventure in town. Humbled by his embarrassing predicament, Fox must also leave the safety of the forest to search for help. Both creatures know from experience that humans can be wasteful and cruel, but on this special night, Fox and Crow see humans in a new light after they each bring joy to members of a family whose holiday spirit has been dimmed by illness.

Inspired by actual events, Fox & Crow: A Christmas Tale is a contemporary take on Aesop’s beloved fable.

Babs and I discussed how to represent the family in terms of race, and we decided to make them interracial. I don’t think I ever saw a mixed-race family like my own in the books I read as a child, so I’m happy to have one represented so beautifully in my Christmas book. I’m re-reading Dickens’ A Christmas Carol now; every Christmas Eve I watch the 1951 black and white film version starring Alistair Sim. Every Christmas I watch The Fellowship of the Ring, though this year I may go see the final installment of The Hobbit instead. There will be egg nog. My Xmas baking has begun. All I need now is a little bit of snow…

Illustration by Babs Webb