I have a weakness for beautiful illustrations. Sometimes I find myself looking at new children’s books, simply for the drawings. Or browsing the “art” section on Pinterest to find just one more pretty picture. My craving for wonderful illustrations was sated (briefly) while I read Jane, the Fox, and Me. A book that is hard to categorize. Is it a graphic novel? A picture book? This book isn’t just a story with a lot of pictures to go along with the words. Nope, this book has a message to convey. A very important one in this day and age, and one that is close to my heart: self-acceptance.
Hélène is a young girl who has few friends outside of books. One of her best friends happens to be Jane Eyre, a character in the classic book by Charlotte Bronte. All of the girls at Hélène’s school seemed to be such bullies and so mean, but Jane Eyre, though she is centuries older than Hélène, has some sort of charm that she is able to conjure. When Hélène is reading Jane’s story, she doesn’t hear the mean words others whisper. She doesn’t feel alone. Though having a fictional character as a best friend might be viewed as one of the weirdest things a girl could do to try to fit in, somehow it works for Hélène. Jane is all she needs. Or so she thinks.
As the story goes on Hélène finds ways to relate to Jane, since she can’t seem to understand anyone else. Then she meets a character I never saw coming, and thinks she might have a potential friend. Though Hélène doesn’t seem to have much going for her, I found myself cheering her on with every turn of the page. This is a wonderful book that could be a god way to bring up bullying, self-image, and similar subjects with a grade-school student. Sometimes it’s hard to understand how much impact words and actions have. Jane, the Fox, and Me is a book that puts this lesson into words and pictures marvelously.
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None
Violence/Gore: A character sets a house on fire; a character is described to be “maimed”; a character is mentioned to die.
Sex/Nudity: Adults depicted kissing in one picture.
Mature Subject Matter:
Bullying, self-image.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
A woman is mentioned to have given up smoking.