Pax: Sara Pennypacker, Jon Klassen

enjoyed the story

REALLY REALLY AWSOME! (Haven’t read it yet) BUT IT LOOKS SO GOOD AND GOOD QUALITY!! -good book for animal lovers :)

This is a fine book but not a great one, in my opinion. The story is told in alternating points of view between the boy Peter and his (former) pet fox, Pax. I think my issue with this story is it's a bit heavy-handed and lacks much subtlety. In that sense it reminds me of Victorian and Edwardian literature (in particular I have "The Secret Garden" in mind with its very direct "nature is restorative" theme and unclever and barely-disguised promotion of Christian Science ideology).A main concepts of the story is that war is a destructive force in terms of the physical costs, emotional trauma, and destruction of life (both human and animal). Nothing exactly groundbreaking there per se, but I think that for a children's book it is handled with care and sensitivity by Pennypacker. Now whether there is a broader moral to be drawn from here, I'm not able to discern. That may be more because of me as a reader than Pennypacker as a writer.Another, and I would argue most important, idea of the text is that of self-forgiveness. Peter and Vola are both psychologically tormented by their own feelings of guilt, albeit from different causes. Only once the characters have learned to accept their actions and forgive themselves are they able to feel the release of the weight of guilt that was bearing down upon them and move on, positively, with their lives (this being more obvious with Vola than Peter). As a counterpoint, we see the negative effects of those who do not succeed in self-forgiveness, namely manifested in anger and isolation - Vola and Peter's father & grandfather being the prime examples.For me, Peter's chapters feel bloated. In a more typical book, I most likely wouldn't have given the chapters a second thought. However, Pax's chapters are quite sublime, in my opinion. The imagery is excellent, and the prose is terse and crisp. Pax's story takes up probably a third or less of the space of Peter's, but it is just so much more succinct and weighty in its own way.In the end, I would argue the final message is that although we are all connected in this great web of life, we must each do what is right by us and what is right for others even if it isn't what we would personally wish for. I feel this message is right, but for some reason it feels a little hollow in this story.

I bought this because the cover looked great - not a brilliant way to choose books, but sometimes something just catches your eye! I loved it so much that it was read in one sitting. And then I took it to school (I teach Year 6). It was snaffled by my Teaching Assistant, who cursed me having read it, as it was so good, and made her cry. One of my 10 year-old pupils came storming in after reading it and said "why!", but both of them agreed it was one of the best things they had read in a long time. It is unconventional for a children's book, in a brilliant way, and I am incredibly glad I found it. So are my TA and the pupil!

My goodness, our hearts ached during this book. What a lovely story of loyalty.

Pax is a stunning read. A story about a fox's search for his missing owner leads to many moments of pure heartbreak (have the tissues ready!) You are immersed in a world where loyalty and friendship is second to none and you are fully rooting for a happy ending. As a primary school teacher, this book has been well received by my class and I will continue to use it in the classroom because of how special this book is.

Wonderful book to read with children. Talks about a friendship, love and how to stand up foe yourself and do the right thing

Pax was one of those books I picked up because the cover was so beautiful. I love the Fox as an animal and was intrigued to know what this book would be about.The blurb certainly grabbed my attention and I couldn't wait to start reading it.In the beginning Pax was let loose into the wild by his young boy owner Peter - Peter's dad was going off to war and Peter had to stay with is Grandfather.Each chapter is told from the perspective of either Peter or Pax, and this was great as it let us know what both were doing in the days after being separated. For me though the book did slowly begin to loose believe-ability the more into Peter's journey to find Pax, went on.There were so many questions - such as, why is his Grandfather not searching for him?...although maybe he is and the characters just never know.Some of the Pax chapters were also a little difficult to follow too.One thing that kept confusing me throughout the book was how halfway through a scene a memory of something that happened years ago would be slotted it, but most of the time it wasn't clear this was happening and it made the story slow and gave confusion of what was happening.Peter eventually meets Vola, a recluse of a woman who is an ex-army veteran. The relationship between them both I found a little strange to being with, but by the end I liked Vola in a strange kind of way.The book is certainly well written and keeps you wanting to keep going, however the biggest disappointment for me was the end. The relationship between Pax and Peter is certainly resolved, but the book ends so abruptly that I still have lots of questions...the end didn't make me feel happy or emotional, but deflated at the knowledge I wouldn't find out my burning questions.I think the idea of writing a book that shows love between humans and animals is great, but I think the emotion could have been cranked up a gear, especially near the end.