Here Comes Trouble: The Fox in the Dark by Alison Green

Rabbit runs home.

Darting left and right. Scampering, scrambling.

Back through the night. His ears flapping, his
tail bobbing.

It's going to be night. He's chased by a fox!

Bang! goes his door!

Who's afraid of the big, bad fox? Well, any sensible rabbit foolish enough to be caught out after dark and far from home. But Rabbit is lucky this time. Safe inside his cozy burrow, a strong door between him and danger, he lights his candle and wipes his brow. Safe at last.

But what's that?

Can that fox have traced him to his own door? But the frantic knocker is not the fox. It's Duck, equally afraid for his life, with the fox, he says, not far behind. Rabbit hates to unbar that door, but what else can he do? In comes Duck, and Rabbit ruefully makes room for him in little bed.

But that's not the end of it. Soon Mouse and Lamb also appear at the door, all being pursued, they say, by Fox in the dark, and all begging to be let in to save their very lives. Reluctantly, Rabbit takes them all in, and they squeeze into his little bed and try to find some sleep.

But then comes another RAT-A-TAT-TAT! Finally Rabbit opens his door just a crack.

"That was unwise," remarks Duck.

It is Fox--or, at least, a very little fox kit, tired, timid, and obviously lost in the dark. What else can Rabbit do? He lets the little fox in to pass the night.

But where there are little foxes, there are liable to be big foxes, and sure enough, the next time the door rattles, Rabbit opens his door to the dreaded sight of...

A FOX IN THE DARK!

But, of course, in Alison Green's The Fox in the Dark, (Tiger Tales, 2010) there's a happy ending to this chase tale, as Mama Fox is reunited with her baby and all the animals snuggle down for a peaceful night. Deborah Allwright's lovely illustrations make this little bedtime tale a soothing experience: bugbears are vanquished, and as all bedtime stories should, this one concludes with everyone tucked in for the night--this time in Mama Fox's luxuriant warm fur.