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Parents' Guide to

Fox in Sox

By Peter Lewis, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Seuss takes your tongue and ties it into knots.

Book Dr. Seuss For Beginning Readers 1965
Fox in Sox Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 6+

Based on 1 parent review

Lebron12James3
Lebron12James3 Parent
April 13, 2022
age 6+
Talk of spooky forests and evil spirits. A character is gagged with a handkerchief. Officers point their rifles at main characters. A horse kicks them into a tree. A villain sets fire to a room with people in it, leading to momentary moments of peril. A character is believed to have died. A character is held hostage at gunpoint.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Dr. Seuss takes your tongue and ties it into a network of knots: \"Who sews crow's clothes? / Sue sews crow's clothes. / Slow Joe Crow / sews whose clothes? / Sue's clothes.\" A good and queer company of Seuss characters take readers through the drill of verbal acrobatics that simply must--Seuss even orders it--be read aloud.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (3 ):

Tongue twisting can go in two directions: It can stimulate the funny bone and so increase the pleasure in words, or it can frustrate; in this case, mirth is more likely than muttering. Particularly when readers heed the cover warning: "This is a book you READ ALOUD to find out just how smart your tongue is. The first time you read it, don't go fast! This fox is a tricky fox. He'll try to get your tongue in trouble."

While Seuss gives your tongue a torquing, his artwork keeps your eyes firing on all eight cylinders. Deep colors heighten the effect of the wacky characters, who come in an array of Goo-Gooses, Bims and Bens (close relatives to the Cat in the Hat's mischievous henchmen, Thing One and Thing Two), tweetle beetles, and noodle-munching poodles.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about tongue twisters. What makes a good tongue twister? Can you make up your own tongue twister?

Book Details

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