Fox and Bear live happily in the forest until Fox decides to make life more productive and efficient. When Fox's inventions set off a chain of events that complicates life in unexpected ways, Bear is faced with the difficult decision about how he wants to live.
This a modern fable that raises existential questions for readers of all ages. The illustrations for Fox and Bear were created using recycled paper cut-outs and cardboard dioramas.
Miriam Körner is an award-winning author and illustrator who lives in Northern Saskatchewan in a small cabin surrounded by quickly vanishing old-growth forest. Her young adult novels and picture book collaborations express her love and concern for the natural world. Miriam is the author of young adult novels Yellow Dog and Qaqavii.
"With the publication of Fox and Bear, author and illustrator Miriam Korner has created a modern fable that raises existential questions for children. Charmingly delightful and entertaining, Fox and Bear is a welcome and unreservedly recommended addition to family, elementary school, and community library picture book collections for young readers ages 5-8. It should be noted that Fox and Bear is also readily available in a digital book format."
— Midwest Book Review
"Fox and Bear brilliantly juxtaposes the trade-off between a life that's rich thanks to the simplicity of pastoral existence and one made materially rich by efficiency and accumulation. Themes of sustainability and living in harmony with our natural resources in a circular economy are at play in the story. The book applauds thinking for ourselves and standing up for our convictions. What an inspiring moment it is when Bear finally decides what he really wants is a simple life. At its core, Fox and Bear reminds us to be happy with what we have."
— Quill and Quire Starred Review
"Fox and Bear is a prophetic, fable-like picture book about how craving more can be destructive to happiness as well as to the natural world."
— Canadian Children's Book Centre
"Fox and Bear is uniquely illustrated using recycled paper cut-outs and cardboard dioramas that enjoyably tell the story. They emphasize Korner's underlying theme of preserving forests. The storyline is cute and helps us realize that a simple life can often be better than a complicated one."
— Kiss the book blogger
Finalist for the 2023 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards in the Interior Design: Children's/Young Adult Category
Winner of the 2024 Saskatchewan Book Awards in the Children's Book category
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