The Wishing Foxes

K-Gr 2—This Appalachian version of the folktale "The Kind and Unkind Girls" emphasizes its characters' personality traits as two sisters meet a succession of mountain creatures in their fulfillment of their mother's request. A double-page image—paper collage highlighted with watercolor—illustrates each animal and its reaction to the sisters. Young, round-faced, rosy-cheeked Bess's kind greeting and simple, courteous responses allow her to pass each dangerous animal—her gentleness with the guardians at "the Well-at-the End-of the World" (a trio of foxes) earns her magical gifts through their wishes. Readers may contrast smiling Bess and her reward with her sister Tess (depicted with a sharply cut pointed chin and frowns for all) as she rudely pushes past each animal with a "You'd better get out of my way!" Scenes of each sister's outcome fill the final pages with Tess's misery, Bess's joy, and a final moral for readers: "If you are kind, kindness just comes right back to you."