Monday, July 26, 2021

Book Review: The Hidden World of the Fox by Adele Brand

 


Time to look at another non-fiction, this time not about wolves. 

In The Hidden World of the Fox, Brand takes a look at the red fox species in Europe, particularly those in England. 

The book describes their ways of life, social structure, hunting techniques, how they look, etc. It also comes with a handy guide on how to recognize their tracks and scat and how to best observe them in the wild. Brand also details some particular individuals that got popular and some she took care of at a rescue. 

I overall really liked this book. It was neat and informative. Unlike with wolves, I really don't know a lot about foxes, so I definitely learned something new here, especially on the area of their social structure. 

I do have two criticisms with this book, however. One: it doesn't outright condemn feeding foxes. It definitely mentions that it may or may not be okay, but it doesn't outright condemn it. Please, don't feed wildlife, people. Keep them wild, even if you're careful about it.

My second problem is the repetition of the photos. With this book coming with some pretty pictures of foxes, some in color and some in grayscale, I was disappointed to find that some of the photos are repeated throughout the book. I'd much rather have seen different photos than the same one twice. I imagine Brand has plenty of photos of foxes herself based on her work with them, but even then, getting them off the internet or other sources should be a breeze. 

Other than that, a good and informative read about red foxes. If you want to learn more about foxes elsewhere in the world, however, I do not recommend it, as this one really covers the European red fox in particular.

Rating: 4/5


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