A Writing Root for The White Fox

Overview and Outcomes:

This is a 15-session Literary Leaf for The White Fox by Jackie Morris which covers all aspects of the Lower Key Stage 2 content domains.  Children will explore the characters' motivations in order to understand their behaviours and study the language used by the author to portray the range of emotions felt at different points in the story.  There will also be opportunities to summarise the key events and sequence them in order, as well as looking at the significance of recurring themes through the story.  Towards the end of the leaf children will analyse the beautiful double-page illustrations to make inferences about the relationships between the main characters, their history and their environment.

Synopsis of Text:

This beautifully written and illustrated novella paints the story of young Sol, living in Seattle but yearning for his roots. His dad is distant and sad, having moved the family from their home in Alaska for a better life and then tragically losing his great love – Sol’s mother – when she is knocked down by a car. At the docks where his father works, Sol discovers an Arctic Fox and an unlikely friendship begins. Sol’s school-life is miserable and he regularly encounters bullies; he doesn’t fit in. But knowing he can go and visit his fox is what keeps Sol going.  So when the fox is captured, Sol and his father, Ben, know that they need to return this beautiful creature to her homeland. They make the six-day drive north to Alaska and the discovery of this little fox proves to be the salve needed by the whole family. The fox released, Sol has the opportunity to bond with his grandparents, even teaching them to read, and learns about the way of life of his Inuit relatives. Then he takes perhaps the bravest step of all and persuades his dad to return them both to Alaska permanently.

Links to Curriculum areas, other Literary Leaves and Planning Sequences:

Family, environment, foxes, Alaska, Inuit