THE LONELY FOX

A fox calls himself a wolf because he desperately longs to be part of a pack…or does he?

Living alone atop a hill with just an old teddy bear for comfort and company, the fox (referred to as Wolf) begins to cry at his solitary plight. Thanks to his tears (and the rain), a tree starts to grow, and a parade of animals arrives—first, a family of warblers; next, several rabbits. Eventually a stream made from Wolf’s tears fills with fish. The newcomers try to engage Wolf with friendly gestures, but he is too busy bemoaning his lonely state to notice. A pale-skinned boy out hiking asks why Wolf is crying, pointing out that he is surrounded by friends—so many in fact that the cacophony of sounds is overwhelming. In a total turnaround, Wolf decides that there is now too much noise, and he retreats to another lonely hill and puts up a sign: “1 visitor at a time please!” As it turns out, one good friend is all Wolf needed; the tale comes to a tender conclusion that sees animal and child sitting together in quiet contemplation. Some may lose patience with self-indulgent Wolf, but those who march to their own drumbeat will appreciate his plight. Phan’s lushly textured digital art has a whimsical flair, wringing humor from the contrast between oblivious Wolf and his increasingly populated landscape.

A gently witty “be careful what you wish for” tale.