A Pig, A Fox, and Stinky Socks by Jonathan Fenske

Today’s guest blogger is Kahla Gubanich, a children's and maker librarian at Carroll County Public Library in Maryland.

It would seem that no friendship is complete without a bit of good-natured pranking. In Jonathan Fenske's A Pig, a Fox, and Stinky Socks, the titular characters are just such friends. Playful Fox has some stinky socks, and is determined to trick Pig in this three part story. First he tries gifting Pig the socks in a box, and when that doesn't go as planned, he steps things up a notch and hides the stinky socks in Pig's bowl of slop. Unfortunately for Fox, Pig is too practical to be easily tricked and the joke backfires, leaving Fox a stinky mess.

Each of the three parts follows a pattern that allows readers to anticipate some of the action and benefit from the repetition of dialog. In each part, Pig and Fox introduce themselves to the reader on the first page and share a little something about themselves. "'I am Fox.' 'I am Pig.' 'I am little.' 'I am big.'" The pattern is inverted slightly in Part 2, when Pig and Fox introduce one another rather than themselves, but the story arc repeats: Fox has some more stinky socks and tries to prank Pig, but ultimately the joke is on Fox. By the second time, the repeated action of Fox stashing the socks for Pig to find, and then seeking out a hiding spot allows the reader to anticipate the joke's fallout. Of course, this makes it all the more satisfying that Part 3 begins with the same chorus of introductions, only to abandon the established pattern altogether on the final page. Instead of ending up once more covered in stinky socks and slop, Fox now marches off to take a bath.

The illustrations are uncluttered, with bold outlines and solid blocks of color. Each image mirrors the accompanying text, providing beginning readers solid visual clues to help them decipher the words. As Fox narrates what he is doing, the illustrations helpfully zoom in or out to focus on the action.

Fenske skillfully reveals the characters’ emotions and personalities through subtle visual clues: Fox's sly glances and sneaking steps contrast Pig's big movements and clear transition from anticipation to frustration as he realizes he has been tricked. The sectioning of most pages into panels also serves as an introduction to a graphic novel layout. The rhyming text is a helpful guide to navigating panels, preventing readers from getting lost on the page spreads.

Fox's escalating tricks clearly upset Pig, but the anger doesn't last. The friendship withstands Fox's pranks, as we see Pig accompanying the now-smelly Fox, holding out his bath towel. The humor builds through both the text and illustrations, providing the comfort of an established pattern along with a final twist so the story ends on a strong, unexpected note. A Pig, a Fox, and Stinky Socks is a light-hearted mix of humor and friendship that will delight existing fans of Pig and Fox and new readers alike.