Herr Fuchs Mag Bücher!

by Franziska Biermann

Meet Mr. Fox, who loves books so much that every time he finishes one, he eats it (with a little salt and pepper, of course)! His insatiable appetite drives him to seek more and more books, until one day, he discovers the local library, where he can "devour" books to his heart's content. Eventually, the librarian catches him "sampling" from the collection and bans him from the library. Down on his luck, the crafty Mr. Fox must find other ways to satisfy his cravings. His attempt to rob the local bookstore, however, ends badly. Arrested for stealing, Mr. Fox lands in jail, where he discovers a surprising way to satisfy his literary cravings (and become rich and famous).

With its deft combination of humor and whimsy, The Fox Who Ate Books is a tongue-in-cheek approach to promote a love of books and reading. The ever-inventive, wily Mr. Fox is the perfect anti-hero whose antics are guaranteed to make young readers laugh, while the play on words will delight older children.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Animals

64 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2001

About the author

Franziska Biermann studierte an der Hamburger Fachhochschule für Gestaltung. Seit 1999 schreibt und zeichnet sie Kinderbücher. 2002 erhielt Franziska Biermann, die auch als Autorin bekannt ist, für ihr Buch ”Herr Fuchs mag Bücher” den Troisdorfer Bilderbuchpreis. Dieses Buch wurde 2007/8 bereits als Theaterstück in Kiel und Köln
auf die Bühne gebracht. Seit 2007 ist die Geschichte vom bücherfressenden Fuchs auch in Korea veröffentlicht und ein großer Erfolg. Dort gibt es auch eine Theateradaption in Form eines Musicals. Insgesamt ist ”Herr Fuchs mag Bücher” in 14 verschiedene Sprachen übersetzt.
Und weil Franziska Biermann Füchse so liebt, schreibt sie seit 2017 die Abenteuer von Jacky Marrone, die bei dtv veröffentlicht werden.

Franziska Biermann ist Preisträgerin des Baumhaus-Boje-Medienpreises.
Sie arbeitet und lebt mit ihrer Familie in Hamburg.

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fox loves to eat books. He actually sprinkles them with salt and pepper. When he runs out of books, he starts eating books from the library and he ends in jail for doing that. He doesn't have access to books in jail, since this is part of his punishment, so he is starving. Fox is in such need of a book, that he writes one in order to eat it later. Thankfully a guard, with great vision for publishing, copies the book before the fox eats it, and the book turns to be a best seller, translated to 17 languages, and made into a movie.

The story is funny, and fox is adorable. The illustrations are also wonderful. That said I found the book too long for a pictures book. Fifty six pages is nearly the double of an average picture book, and I wonder if kids would keep their attention on the story for so long.

There was one thing I totally dislike in the book, and it is that at the end Fox is "quietly released from prison, and his criminal record swept under the carpet" because he is now a millionaire author. No way this is a message I want to pass to my kids! I would have rated this book with 4 stars if the resolution were different.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Find more children's book reviews in Reviews in Chalk

[Hamid Babayev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Çox əyləncəli və əla yazılmış illustrasiyalı uşaq kitabıdır. Əslində çox əyləndim oxuyanda. Üst-üstə 3 dəfə oxuduq.

Moral səbəblərdən isə kitab 3 ulduzdan artığını haqq etmir. O həbsxanadan çıxış detalı bütün keyfiyyəti aşağı çəkir.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Väga kihvt raamatu sellest, kuidas rebane raamatuid sööb! Erkiga saime tõesti naerda. Raamatu lõpus küsis Erki ikka üle "Emme, raamatuid ju ei tohi süüa!".

[Svea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ega raamatunälg ole naljaasi

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get that this is supposed to be tongue in cheek. I get that we all consume books.

I just think this is a one-trick pony worked to death. I get it. Ha, ha. But a whole picture book grinding the joke into the ground, no.

And the ending, where the fox is released from prison because, after robbing a bookshop, he writes a best selling novel, so he doesn't have to complete his sentence? What is that teaching?

So, yeah, perhaps kids think it is funny that a fox eats books. And perhaps this would be a fun picture book to read to them, but didn't like the ending.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book avialable for an honest review.

[Stefanie Foard · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a librarian, I do not nor will I ever condone the eating of books, but this is pretty funny. ;)

*I read a digital ARC of this title from the publisher via NetGalley.

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annick Press might be my new favorite children's book publisher.

[Victoria Peipert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very excited to real this book as the cover and illustrations really drew me in.

The beginning of the story started out fun and light hearted but as it went on I felt like the author was really trying to grasp at something that wasn't there.

The extent to which the story evolved into criminal territory and then a rags to riches story felt very forced. Also, as a children's book I'm not even sure what message that's supposed to send. More importantly, thinking about it from the perspective of a child I believe the story would be too long. Finally, I'm not sure many younger age groups that would be read a picture book would even be able to understand the complexity of the second half of the book.

Plot aside, the illustrations were wonderful.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, the title is the joke.
But the book is for young children; many of whom will not understand this literal interpretation of 'devouring books' without explanation from the adult reading aloud.
And so the humor is in the ever increasing consequences of such an obviously absurd fox (who eats books??) and NOT in the variety of literary puns.
The books resolution is its weakest point. The fox is able to escape punishment through his own celebrity and money. While arguably just as 'silly' as earlier shenanigans, it does promote a type of unaccountability that's hard to ignore.
The book is thoroughly enjoyable among a 'diet' of other books.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sehr liebes Kinderbuch über den kleinen Fuchs, der Bücher nicht nur für sein Leben gern liest, sondern danach auch würzt und auffrisst. Als er beim Plündern der Bücherei erwischt wird, kommt er ins Gefängnis und kann sich nur dadurch retten, dass er selbst ein Buch schreibt und reich wird als Autor.
Die Schriftgröße wechselt, daher ist eine Altersempfehlung schwierig. Da die wenigen Seiten aber auch noch kaum beschriftet sind würde ich sagen, geeignet für Kinder ab etwa 7 Jahren (2. Klasse).

[Andrea McDermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with my daughter tonight. I was crying laughing so hard.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Rachelzana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Reelika Raimet · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://raamaturiiulike.wordpress.com...

[Gaeun Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh silly book i love you

[Lese-Schäfchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super süße Idee. Ich mag Herr Fuchs, aber ohne Salz und Pfeffer 😜

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Fox loves to devour books. When he enters the local library and begins eating books there, he gets into major trouble. He decides to become a bestselling author to quench his appetite for books. This is a great book to read with 2nd and 3rd grade students as they will appreciate foxes obsession with book and will appreciate the twist at the end of the book. The illustrations in the book are reflective of the more European style of art.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will admit that I am one of those people who gobble up new books. Often I read straight through a new book very quickly, because I am so excited and want to see how it ends. But then I go back and read it again right away, going slowly and savoring it the second time. I do not, however, sprinkle salt and pepper on the pages and actually eat the book. Mr. Fox does. He eats books - chews them up and swallows them and licks his lips.

Mr. Fox has a problem with his diet. He has such an appetite for books, that he has sold almost everything he owns and there is no money left to buy books. The solutions he comes up involve the library and the corner bookstore, but he forgets to consider the consequences of his plan at each location. Then he is in a real mess. What can a book-loving fox do?

Taking the idea of a voracious reader to absurd lengths provides all kinds of humor in this witty picture book. Mr. Fox with his salt shaker and pepper grinder satisfies his hunger for literature and has plenty of "food for thought." The illustrations of the fox sprawled on the floor of his apartment reading, or casually whistling as he eyes the nearest exit in the library are comical. Younger readers will be rolling in the floor at the scene where "cheap paper upset his stomach." (Yes, it shows him in the bathroom. What kid wouldn't laugh at the sight of a fox atop a toilet?) And when he threatens, "I'll bite you in the bottom!" everyone will be laughing aloud.

Along with the obvious theme of loving books and reading, there are other topics that this story introduces. One big point of discussion could be thinking things through and considering what the results of your actions will be. Another could be the problems with being too greedy, even for good things like books. It could also be paired with another humorous book like Gregory, the Terrible Eater to accompany a lesson on proper nutrition. Young readers may be encouraged to try writing their own stories, as Mr. Fox attempts to do, or create their own illustrations of Mr. Fox eating one of their favorite books. And older students can explore all the vocabulary and the terms that describe hunger of one sort or another.

Perfect for readers who love books such as Judy Sierra's Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf! or Wolf! by Becky Bloom. This is another one of those stories where we are cheering for the character that is really a rascal. I know that kids will love Mr. Fox. Whether you read it at home or at school, children will be chuckling over the fox's antics and adults will be shaking their heads at his single-minded pursuit of books. Everyone will have a good time - which is really the best way to enjoy a good story.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Fox loves book. He loves them in a very untraditional way... he loves to EAT them with a sprinkle of salt and pepper to add extra zest and flavour. He has a ravenous appetite and shoves three meals a day. But he acknowledges that books are expensive and his hunger pains real so he cleverly looks around and stumbles upon a whole building full of books, stacked from floor to ceiling... THE LIBRARY. All the books within are free so what more could a famished book-lover ask for? Utopia!

"Yum, yum, thought Mr. Fox."

Every day after he is a regular visitor, sniffing the air within, smacking his chops as he browses the aisles and sheves, licking some pages and tucking the ones he finds most savoury into his tote bag to take home.

After a while patrons begin to complain that the books are slimy, pages are nibbled and pages are missing. The librarian links the complaints to one particular customer... Mr. Fox... and catches him red-handed doing his dastardly deeds. She quickly banishes him forever from the premises telling him :

"You Book Chomper! she shouted indignantly!
Get your snout out of our novels this instant!" ...

"That is an inappropriate use of reading material," she said curtly. From now on, Mr. Fox, you are forbidden from entering the library."

Mr. Fox feels forlorn and heartbroken. He needs to eat? What is he to do? He reverts to plan B. He downgrades the quality of his intaketo eating furniture catalogues, fast-food flyers, free daily papers and even rummaging through recycling bins behind his house. Oh my! Because of his poor diet his fur loses its sheen and upsets his stomach badly.

His dire state of affairs emboldens him to don a ski mask and do the unthinkable. He becames a masked book thief! Thievery comes with a price and Mr. Fox soon finds himself locked up tight, deprived of books as part of his punishment.

How can he turn his desperate situation around and come out on top... and come out of prison? You will smile at what clever Mr. Fox conjures up to remedy his seemingly hopeless state of affairs and who helps him bring his brilliant plan to fruition. Let's just say... thereafter Mr. Fox can happily say, " Let the book buffet begin and please, please pass me the monogrammed salt and pepper!"

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to see the missing images from this review, check out my blog at http://dickenslibrary.blogspot.ca/201...

Mr. Fox has a serious problem. He is a consumer of books. Now you might not think this would be a problem, but not only does he love to read them, he also eats them. With a little salt and pepper, those heavy tomes are delicious.

Unfortunately this is a very expensive habit. When he runs out of money Mr. Fox sells all his furniture to buy books. When this money is gone, Mr. Fox discovers the library. He visits every day with his salt and pepper shakers. He licks pages, nibbles edges and devours entire books; leaving library patrons disgusted by the leftovers he leaves behind.

Eventually he is caught by the librarian and subsequently banned from the library.

For a while poor Mr. Fox is forced to subsist on newspapers, flyers, and other reading material he finds in recycling bins. It is very hard on his stomach.

Eventually the desperate Mr Fox resorts to stealing books. Alas he is not a master thief and ends up in jail where all books are forbidden. You will have to read the book yourself to find out how clever Mr Fox finds a way to survive.

This is a humorous tongue-in-cheek book with a message about how to treat books properly. It would be a fun to read at the beginning of the school year, especially with older readers. I loved the brightly coloured illustrations and how Fox solved his book devouring problem. However, it's more like a beginning chapter book than picture book.

I read a few reviews of this book where people thought the ending gave children the wrong message. Seriously, I think those people need to give their head shake and get a life.

[Seohui · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book extremely, also the fox which likes after reading the book all and sprinkled the salt and the black pepper and with. But is the book price expensive a little? When in addition eats the book and the appetite becomes as for a more excellent poor fox only a more unbearable quantity! The fox's neighborhood's book store had screen paper fragrance him to discover the library, like this heaven be delighted (eat?) becomes the book read, from the place. But the tail is long, the law which is caught, after being found, the fox uncle the library entrance ban becomes the Dang River to librarian. Sometimes the flier or cheap article newspaper abolition collects to search, prolongs life, the cute fox at last in malnutrition that gloss or the Dunn fur, the indigestion the light to fade and undergoes. Instead of one which did from the library the neighborhood book store, the fox which was an always gentle citizen subsists, not to be able to shake off…. So called book store robbery! Robbery to is revealed, is sent to the prison and the fox 'the reading ban ' the house one punishment get which is. The novel thought which rose sleep must write the writing directly to him who sent the everyday of despair! Become the blood and the flesh and uses reading quantity and the writing of the fox which writes is impressed the confinement officer who defended the cell and, the confinement officer prepares the publishing company, succeeds the fox as novelist. The fox the superior work, becomes the research list of the numerous critic to get the attention of the world.

I really like this book, because the auther said some great quotes. " Your not reading a book, you are 'eating' a books." I really enjoy this quote ever in my life what I hear some where. And I meet her and get signature. Now, think that signature is really really important for me and really cool author's signature.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes your worst enemy is your hungry stomach.

This is a book about a fox who feeds on books - which leads him to breaking a few laws in order to survive. In fact, he loves eating books so much he was eating until he was bankrupted. Then one day he discovered a library.. and hooray, free food! At least that was his dream, until the librarians tracked him down and banished him from visiting. Without them quality books (or cash to afford them books), the fox was cornered into desperation and had to rob the corner bookstore - and then was promptly thrown to jail. To avoid starving to death in his jail time (as his penalty is no quality book during jail time), the fox decided to create a book for his feeding needs. The guard got curious at the "food" he was writing and made a copy of it to read - and WOAH it was good literature! So the guard suggested to the fox to publish his work, which quickly became a world-wide top seller and leave the fox never needing to worrying about an empty belly ever again. Finish.

This is an amusing story book. The plot is very satisfying and engaging, which I think will make it as a great read-out-loud. If you must use this book to teach something, perhaps use this to diagram the causes-and-effects of the fox's actions, and mirror it to recent events of everyday's lives.

I would not recommend to use this book as a tool to teach anyone about admitting faults / saying sorry / etc, since I didn't get a sense the fox was guilty, he was mostly just hungry.

Read in Chinese translation.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fox Who Ate Books is a picturebook by Franziska Bierman which is currently scheduled for release on October 11 2016. Meet Mr. Fox, who loves books so much that every time he finishes one, he eats it! His appetite drives him to seek more and more books, until one day, he discovers the local library, where he can “devour” books to his heart’s content. Eventually, the librarian catches him “sampling” from the collection and bans him from the library. Down on his luck, the crafty Mr. Fox must find other ways to satisfy his cravings. However, his attempt to rob the local bookstore ends badly. Mr. Fox lands in jail, where he discovers a surprising way to satisfy his literary cravings (and become rich and famous).

The Fox Who Ate Books is a funny look at how much people can love reading. While the fox who literally devours his books takes it a bit too far, I can understand the desire to collect and not return books that strike you as special. However, I have never licked, bitten, or otherwise ingested any reading material, though I might have sniffed an old book or two in my day. I really like how the fox turns his love of words into something bigger and better than just devouring books, he shares the words inside him by writing them down for others to devour. Every writer I know started as a reader, and I think this a fun story that might encourage some children to attempt to read more, I think it will have a bigger impact on those who already love books and reading by encouraging them to write some stories of their own.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mini bibliophiles, this book is for you! Mr. Fox loves everything about books, the pages, the smell and the longer, the better! At first Mr. Fox eats his own collection of books, visits his local bookstore and then ends up discovering his library. Stealing and eating books from the library lands him in quite a bit of trouble and Mr.. Fox is jailed. In jail he is not allowed any books or paper until he convinces a guard to bring him journals so he could write his own great story. It turns out that Mr. Fox is quite the writer and the guard gets his book published and he's released from jail. Although the intrinsic message is a bit wobbly, this book could develop into great conversations with younger readers on how to properly care for a book, library book handling rules, places where books could be found, and even the publishing process.
*I received an ARC via NetGalley & Annick Press LTD in exchange for an honest review.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Fox loves books! His love of books has caused him to sell almost everything he owns. He needs to keep buying books as after he reads hem, he eats them! When he runs out of money, he discovers the library where you can get books for free to read. However Mr. Fox doesn't realize that he is suppose to return them not eat them! When caught eating a book in the library, he is no longer allowed in the library. What will poor Mr. Fox do now?

The author has written a delightful book that will make you laugh out loud as you read Mr. Fox's antics. I think that this book will inspire one to go to the library to get books and read!

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book free from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I was not obliged to write a favorable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

[Kaitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange book

[Lisa Macklem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, I'd really give this 3.5 stars and really debated going up to 4. The story is very clever and fun - though the moral leaves a lot to be desired. The pictures are interesting - a spare and geometric style but with hidden gems and details. I loved that he was reading a book in what appeared to be Japanese on the second page. I really didn't care for the choice of font. Picky perhaps, but this should be a consideration for a picture book. There is LOTS to talk about with a child, however, if reading with them or even as an assigned text. It's definitely a book that should be discussed with the child - ie if you rob a bookstore, it won't result in your becoming a millionaire with a motion picture deal...

[Carla · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just okay for me. Maybe I am not giving children credit, but I am not sure they will understand the premise of "Consuming" a book. The fox reads the books, then he eats them. He actually ends up in prison for eating and destroying books at the library. While he is in prison, he writes a best selling book so is never hungry again because he can eat his own book. He also gets released from prison because he writes a best selling book. Not sure about the message here.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really cute book about a fox who loves to eat books. The best food for him is a nice large book with salt and pepper. He eventually finds a library where he starts chomping, licking and tasting library books. He checks out lots but never returns them. Soon he is banned from the library and thrown into jail. He is so full of stories that he begins to write a story of his own, but will he ever be released from jail? While I liked the story and I can see myself reading it to a room full of kids visiting the library, it is a bit on the long side.

[Magy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Fox loves reading and eating books - with salt and pepper of course. But this love of books causes him to do some crazy things like "borrow" library books and rob a bookstore to fill his huge appetite. Locked up in jail, Mr. Fox has no access to reading material. What will he eat? How will he survive?

The Fox Who Ate Books is a cute enough story (originally published in German) that plays on the idea of "devouring" books and developing a hunger for reading.

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.