Parents' Guide to The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest

It's surprising how delightful, quirky, and thoughtful a book can be that stars a mangled, one-eyed undead fox named Clare who ushers dead animals into the right Afterlife. There are four Afterlife realms: Peace, Pleasure, Progress, and Pain. When none of the choices work for a badgering badger named Gingersnipes, Clare, The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, and his carefully curated undead, uh, life begins to unravel. Who was Clare before he became an Usher? Who is he without his mushroom garden and collection of books from the dump? At the same time that he's fighting for his lonely but known existence, he forges a friendship with Gingersnipes. She's curious and straight-talking and a good foil for Clare's stubborn refusal to change and see himself as a fox who's changed for the better. There are other quirky characters to love, especially Hesterfowl, a prognosticating guinea fowl. The trip to the living world to consult Hesterfowl delivers the most animal antics. Run-ins with humans provide climactic action that packs an emotional punch.

Stellar black-and-white illustrations by Polish artist Marcin Minor match the expressive, quirky quality of this book, a favorite being a drawing before Chapter 18 that depicts the animal friends in a swimming hole. Gingersnipes' rotund belly is afloat, her expression surely saying "ahhh ... now this is the life." Or Afterlife, or pre-afterlife undead realm, whatever. Like Gingersnipes, it's easy to forget we're dealing with serious stuff like life and death when there's such pleasures on the page to be had.