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The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night: An Old Song by Peter Spier | Goodreads
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The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night: An Old Song

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Grammy-award winning performer Tom Chapin reads and performs the immortal words of this classic folksong that takes listeners back to a by-gone era when people traveled the countryside of America by train. This particular journey, illustrated with striking landscapes and lively glimpses inside the cars, follows the train "City of New Orleans" from Chicago to Louisiana.

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

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About the author

Peter Spier

93 books65 followers
Peter Spier has established himself as one of the most gifted illustrators in this county. His Noah's Ark was the 1978 Caldecott Award winner, while The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night was a Caldecott Honor book in 1962. The firs two books in his widely acclaimed Mother Goose Library, London Bridge Is Falling Down! and To Market! To Market! were winner and runner-up respectively for the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. The Erie Canal and Noah's Ark both won Christopher Awards, while Gobble, Growl, Grunt received Honorable Mention in the first Children's Science Book Award program, sponsored by the New York Academy of Science.

Born and educated in Amsterdam, Mr. Spier came to New York in 1952 after serving in the Royal Dutch Navy and working for a number of years as a reporter for Elsevier's Weekly, Holland's largest magazine. He has illustrated over a hundred books and has contributed a series of murals to the H. F. Du Pont Winterthur Museum in Delaware.

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5 stars
616 (39%)
4 stars
474 (30%)
3 stars
347 (22%)
2 stars
105 (6%)
1 star
34 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
Profile Image for Calista.
4,720 reviews31.3k followers
March 11, 2019

This is an old Folk song that Peter set to a story. It’s also a Nursery Rhyme. I remember just reading it in that huge volume previously. Peter Spier wrote this in ’61 when they would do every other page in black and white to save money. Peter went back in his later years and colored the rest of the book so now the story is completely in color.

The artwork is stunning! It’s lovely. It’s a place I want to go and visit. Lovely hills. Peter and his wife were in Vermont when he decided to write this story. I give the artwork alone 5 stars. I want to own the book for the pictures.

The story is a simple song about a fox stealing a grey goose and a duck to feed his large family. It’s cute. We enjoy foxes in this house, so we enjoyed this beginning story. The nephew loved that the fox got away with something. I think the fox must be his spirit animal. He gave this 4 stars. I did my best to sing it to the kids as the sheet music is in the back. They like the jaunty tune. The niece thought it was a bit of a sad song as the goose and duck die. She really enjoyed the artwork too. She gave this 3 stars.
Profile Image for Hilary .
2,304 reviews459 followers
January 7, 2020
A picture version of the folk song. I loved this song when I was little and I'm pretty sure I had taken this book out of the library.

The illustrations are lovely and detailed, the fox family are beautiful and their den is so enchanting. I do appreciate that this is showing what foxes do, hunt food to take back to their young, although some young readers may feel sad about the goose being carried back for supper.

There are lyrics and music included in the back pages.

Read on open library.
Profile Image for Manybooks.
3,440 reviews104 followers
January 31, 2021
It is really too bad that my local public library does not have a copy of this book, but due to all of the glowing reviews and the fact that I really do very much adore folksong adaptations, I finally and successfully tried Interlibrary Loan (and then read Peter Spier’s The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night whilst listening to Custer LaRue's magical rendition of the song, on her album Custer LaRue Sings the Daemon Lover, which I can indeed very highly recommend). And yes, the fact that the fox ventures forth at night to kill some geese in order to feed his hungry family is (in my humble opinion) a perfect point of discussion, namely, that foxes are definitely to be considered as carnivores and predators, and thus must hunt and consume meat (and one reason that foxes and wolves have such a problematic reputation is of course the fact that especially in children's literature and folklore, they have often been very deliberately described and denigrated as sneakily clever, thieving and actually evil).

Now with regard to Peter Spier’s illustrations, they are indeed evocative, descriptive and detailed, although reading The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night to or with very young or sensitive children, the depictions of the fox running away with the moribund geese and their swinging necks could be a bit frightening and off-putting (and although I really do like the song and appreciate its lyrics, the accompanying artwork of the fox with the obviously dying geese does kind of visually bother me a trifle). And finally, while I do appreciate the fact that Peter Spier has included the lyrics and melody of the song, I do tend to think that an added author's note about this folksong’s origins and distribution would definitely be increasing the folkloric (and academic) interest and value of The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night (I think it was originally a Middle English poem that was then transported to North America by British colonists). Still, The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night is and remains most definitely highly recommended for both children and also for adults interested in folksongs and folksong adaptations!
Profile Image for Robert Davis.
763 reviews63 followers
March 30, 2014
**** Caldecott Honor (1962) ****

I read this accompanied by a CD with audio of the story and song performed by Tom Chapin. It's funny how actually hearing the song and the story played out with music can transform this old folk tune into a foot tapping fun time. This story really comes alive when played out with music.

Profile Image for Bettendorf Library.
443 reviews17 followers
October 13, 2022
Very gorgeous art! I spent a lot of time admiring it each page and it gave such a chilly fall vibe. This book has a great amount of detail and care to all the illustrations.
Bonus! There is a song in the back this makes it a very folksy feeling to the whole thing! I could easily imagine people singing this around fall.

I highly recommend you read this in fall, but it could be enjoyed anytime!

-Ashley
Profile Image for SamZ.
821 reviews
January 15, 2015
1962 Caldecott Honor.
I first heard this folk song when I was in high school, and thought it was a funny tale; so I was pleasantly surprised when I found it on the Caldecott list.
I really loved the detailed illustrations and fall coloring used throughout this story, it just made this book such a pleasure to read. I found myself singing the song to myself throughout the rest of the day. The edition I read was an anniversary edition that had all of the pages colored (originally only half were colored due to publishing budget restraints) by Peter Spier. I also really liked reading about his creative process in putting together this story. So fun!
Profile Image for Jenny.
3,033 reviews36 followers
January 25, 2015
The words are from an old folk song. It is not a song I recognize, but it does contain the music score and lyrics at the back. The edition I read is a new edition redone in 2013 where Spier has added color to every page. (An author's note at the end explains how this book came about and that when it was originally published, the publishers printed one side of the page in black and white and one side in color. In 2013, he was asked to add color to the black and white pages.).

The illustrations are beautiful. So many details...love that you can see plant roots growing through the ceiling of the foxes' home. Definitely worth reading and poring over the details in the illustration.
Profile Image for Dolly.
Author 1 book666 followers
February 4, 2018
Gorgeous watercolor illustrations of classic New England scenery are the highlight of this illustrated version of a folk song by Burl Ives. This revised edition has colorful images throughout, instead of on every other page, and I believe that it adds charm to the book.

Nevertheless, the concept of a fox coming through a town to raid a farm of a goose and a duck (even if is is to feed his family) may be a bit disturbing for younger children or those sensitive to the sight of a fox carrying his 'kill' on his back.

The final scenes, of a cozy home with an anthropomorphized fox family sitting around the table to eat their roast goose dinner and later sit around the hearth, may help to lessen the horror of the fox's pillage and plunder.

I have to admit that I was not overly enthralled by the song's lyrics the first time I read the book, but after the second or third time through, it didn't seem quite so horrible. Still, it's not a book that I would go back to readily.

This book was selected as one of the books for the January 2015 - Quarterly Caldecott discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
Profile Image for J.
3,332 reviews22 followers
April 5, 2018
This was a book that I had read and enjoyed as a child so it was fun to get a chance to re-read it. Although the story are the actual lyrics put against an illustrated background there is also included the lyrics with the music for those who want to either play it and/or sing it although Youtube also provides plenty of music choices whether you like to hear it from Burl Ives or Peter, Paul and Mary (do avoid the audio sample that is provided for this website).

The story itself is mostly told otherwise by the detailed and really colorful pictures that will take the reader through the countryside from the home of the foxes to the edge of town where the farmer lives. The reader will also get a chance to be able to pick through the details to find various interesting tidbits that may help to focus the story for discussion. I was surprised though that a tobacco barn had been included since the background for the story was suppose to be further up north while I am not sure tobacco is a northern crop.

All in all it is a nice little book that captures the hominess and need of two very different yet similar families.
Profile Image for Luisa Knight.
2,931 reviews1,050 followers
October 27, 2022
Spier is an amazing illustrator - I could not stop gazing at each page spread! Oh, and the story is really cute too, ... but those pictures - wonderful!

Ages: 3 - 8

Cleanliness: there is a sign for tobacco and you can see the leaves hanging in a barn.

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Profile Image for Tarl.
Author 25 books79 followers
January 1, 2019
I was given this by a coworker who found it among her daughter's stuff. She knew I loved Foxes and wanted to share it with me. I have to say, I was immediately captured by the beautiful art work, and once I started reading, I had to read the tale in one sitting. (not hard to do, as it is a children's book)

I really, really enjoyed this book, and if children were ever in my future, I would read this one to them a lot. (as well as maybe get their aunt to play the song on the piano) The artwork captures the story perfectly, and is a treasure to view, which is always important when it comes to something an adult is reading to a kids. (parents need to be entertained as well)

In the end, I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a classic story for their child or children. More so, if you are like me, they like foxes! Definitely worth picking up.
Profile Image for Katie Fitzgerald.
Author 9 books231 followers
October 5, 2017
I am not fond of books where the illustrations alternate between black and white and color. I always tend to gloss over the black and white and gravitate toward the color. This book is no exception. I love the vibrant colors of the paintings and mainly skipped over the less exciting line drawings. Though it might gross out some readers, I was pleased to see a fox acting like a fox. He should be killing birds for food and bringing them home to his babies! I love so many of the pictures it would be hard to choose a favorite, but I think my favorite aspect of each page is the fall foliage. The colors of the leaves do a wonderful job of evoking the chilly night.
43 reviews
April 2, 2014
This was an interesting one. It’s about an old folk song. It tells a story of a fox who goes searching for food for his family, and ends up raiding a farmers goose house. Its interesting because when the fox is in the goose house, he seems as if he is a real animal, but when he lives in a house, that has furniture in it, and they prepare the food and eat it at a table, They act like humans which is obviously something real animals do not do. The drawings were very detailed, but I did not like that they switched between color and black and white. I found them a little bit boring to be honest. I did like how well it flowed, and Its easy and fun to sing along to.
Profile Image for Ivan.
756 reviews15 followers
August 15, 2013
Song lyrics as a text. Anyone else remember the song? Burl Ives used to sing it. I had this book when I was a kid and I'd totally forgotten about it, but when it arrived in today's post and I opened it and saw the first illustration the flood gates of memory opened up. Peter Spier illustrations are incredible - very carefree and whimsical. This one is a keeper.
Profile Image for John.
Author 5 books1,740 followers
January 10, 2012
It shows what would have happened to Chicken in The Chicken Thief if Fox hadn't liked her.

Caldecott Honor Book, 1962

Favorite illustration: pages 5-6

Art Medium: Pen and ink; watercolor
Profile Image for Edward Sullivan.
Author 6 books220 followers
September 25, 2014
A reissue of the beautifully illustrated folk song about a fox who goes to town and brings a goose home to his hungry kits. A Caldecott Honor Book originally published in 1961.
Profile Image for Theresa.
1,238 reviews26 followers
September 5, 2024
A fox goes out on a chilly night to snag some fresh meat for his family - 10 kits! A feast is the end result.

The author/illustrator was inspired to create this children's book while driving through rural Vermont on a chilly autumn night while singing the eponymous folk song, back in the late 1950s. It became his second published illustrated childrens book and attracted Caldecott Honors, though to save cost, the publisher did only 1 side of the page in color, the other in black and white. Fifty years passes, and the publisher asks Spier, now 86, if he could color the black and white pages.

Why yes, he could, and the fully colored book that I now have is gorgeous. You would never know that 50 years separate the watercolors.

Loved everything about this book.

Here is the folk song whose lyrics form the text:
https://youtu.be/7PStlao609g?feature=...

Here is some history of the folk song, and a list of recordings:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_F...
Profile Image for Sarah.
634 reviews56 followers
January 24, 2021
Lovely watercolor illustrations bring this Appalachian folk song to life. The sheet music is included with the lyrics at the end of the book.
Profile Image for Shanna Gonzalez.
427 reviews40 followers
August 14, 2009
The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night is a wonderful old folk song telling the ageless story of a fox who raids a farmer's goose house and brings his kill home to his family. Peter Spier's detailed and charming drawings bring the story to dramatic life with alternately black-and-white and colored illustrations.

The anthropomorphism of the fox is playfully developed, somewhat reminiscent of Beatrix Potter's animal character development. As the fox raids the goose house he acts very much like a realistic animal, but he returns to a furnished home, and he and his wife proceed to pluck and carve the goose before eating it at table. Likewise, the fox children act like humans within their house, but then raid the garbage can outside, leaving bones strewn everywhere.

The story is good enough to be enjoyed for its own sake, but also may provide an opportunity to discuss themes such as creation stewardship, ownership, theft, and animal predatory behavior.

A nice musical score is included at the end of the book, but the melody is rather complicated to read for the first time. You can listen to the song performed by Morwenna Lasko here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Q9S2...), or download a version by Nickel Creek here (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001...).
Profile Image for Peacegal.
10.9k reviews107 followers
October 17, 2018
I knew this only as a song by the folk band Nickel Creek, and it was interesting to learn that it is an old traditional.

The illustrations in this Caldecott winner are an absolute delight. They are highly detailed, with a homey, old-fashioned quality that brings to life small town/farm life of a long bygone era.

That said, there are elements of this nearly-sixty-year-old book that I don't think would be present in any modern picture book for kids, and which are jarring and even discomforting for a modern audience. The theme of the song is a fox's raid on a flock of ducks and geese, and for the majority of the book, we see the fox dragging the still-alive goose by his neck through the town, as the bird displays terrified expressions. The goose remains alive right up until he gets a freaked-out eyeful of a den filled with hungry fox kits. The next page shows the adult foxes plucking the goose's corpse, roasting and serving him for dinner! I know I would have hated this book as a kid.

As an adult, I can step back and enjoy the folk song, the quality of the illustrations, and the blending of fantasy with reality (the foxes have a mailbox at their den and eat around a dinner table.) However, I would share it with the picture-book set only with a heavy dose of caution.
Profile Image for Maria Rowe.
1,003 reviews12 followers
November 23, 2017
• 1962 Caldecott Honor Book •

I really, really love the art in this book! I think the drawings are superb. I really love the colors too. There is a note from the author in the back where it’s explained that this book was originally half black-and-white and half color. Peter Spier was asked in 2013 to color in the rest of the book - at the age of 86 he wondered if he could match the colors, and he wrote that it took him a few tries but he was able to match the colors exactly. The note also explains that he was inspired to write this book when he was on a trip with his wife in Vermont and while singing “The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night” he felt inspired to make the song into a children’s book. I’m so glad he did. This is a beautiful book! I have to admit it was a little sad that the fox stole two geese and it was sad to see the look on the geese’s faces when he stole them from the farmer.

Materials used: unlisted
Typeface used: unlisted
32 reviews
Read
September 11, 2018
Summary
In this book, a fox looks for food out in the village to bring back to his den for his family. Not only is it a book, but it is also a classic folk song that can be played as you read through the book.

Evaluation
This book is mostly appropriate for younger grades because it is a very simple story with only one sentence for page. Because of this, it was not my favorite book because I like things to be a little more in depth. It would also be a beneficial book for new readers because it repeats itself every so often, and there is a song that can go along with it.

Teaching Idea
This book would be appropriate for teaching rhyming. Almost each page rhymes. For example, "The fox went out on a chilly night, and he prayed to the moon to give him light." A teacher could read this book aloud and have students identify the words that rhyme as she is reading. Then, students could write a poem with a partner that has rhyming.
Profile Image for Volkert.
908 reviews26 followers
October 6, 2022
I revisited this old favorite book today as part of my presentation at story time at a local public library. I had already planned to sing the Pete Seeger version of the song, "The Fox," when I asked the librarian if they had a copy of the Peter Spier illustrated version. She found it for me, so I read the book, and showed the children the pictures, before singing the song.

I have long loved this book, and virtually all of Spier's delightful illustrated books for children. My parents knew his parents in the Netherlands, which undoubtedly adds to my appreciation of his work. But his illustrations do bring the text of the song to life and they are so very close to how I picture the song in my head when I sing it.
40 reviews
March 12, 2017
1. Caldecott Honor Book
2. 3-7 years
3. This book describes a traditional folk song about a fox travels miles to find food in the village to bring to his wife and babies. The fox catches a grey goose by the neck, and successfully bring it to the family. The fox family is so happy because they never ate such a dinner in their life.
4. I love how it describes the lyrics with illustrations in details. I listened to this song by Nickel Creek after reading this book, I LOVE it even more. The melody and background instruments are just so beautiful.
5. Read-aloud, singing time, reading time
Profile Image for Colette.
1,187 reviews
April 10, 2015
This song isn't in my repituar or memory, but I did find someone singing it on YouTube; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe13Y.... This Caldecott Honor Book illustrates each stanza of this folk song. Perfect addition to a music teachers collection. There is even an illustrated piece of sheet music and the lyrics at the back of the book. Artist notes written in 2013 are also included. Yes this book has a copyright date of 1961, but folksongs and great work never go out of style.
100 reviews
September 12, 2018
I think this book was super cute. It is about a fox who goes into town and snatches a goose and a duck for supper. What I really appreciated though, was that the entire book could be turned into a song. The notes are in the back, and the whole book could be a sing along instead of just a read along. I think this book would be fun for music time or a lesson on foxes.
Profile Image for Kelly.
8,702 reviews19 followers
December 11, 2017
Apparently this story is based off a song. I just couldn't get into the rhythm or cadence of the text. Not to mention that the story itself was a little dark. Not a fan of the illustrations either.
Profile Image for Nicki.
585 reviews
May 5, 2018
Perhaps if I had ever heard of this song before, I would have liked this book. As it was, I found it very repetative and the adding of "o" to the end of words (town-o) annoying. The pictures were quite good, though.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews

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