This is a big, beautiful book (12" by 9.1") that young children will love to own, look at illustrations, and read or have read to them. Ms. Letourneau wrote the text and created the illustrations. The protagonist is Argyle Fox, a young fox who always wears argyle scarfs or sweaters, which are knitted for him by his loving, elegant mother. Argyle loves to play in the forest with his friends: squirrel, beaver, ground hog and badger, but the wind interrupts their play. So Argyle sets out to create a toy designed to be used in the wind.

The book opens to an easy to read illustrated map of Argyle Fox's forest and surrounding area. There's beaver's pond, pirate ship, groundhog burrow, Argyle's four story house within a tree, and in the distance there is a knight's castle. The book's clever, large illustrations are its best feature, with the text appearing in a relatively small area at the bottom of each page. Young children will be delighted with this lovely, well-designed book with gorgeous illustrations. Its large size will encourage small children to spend hours pouring over it.

Argyle Fox is a picturebook by Marie Letourneau. Argyle Fox, with his signature style, wants to play outside on a springtime day, but the wind is wreaking havoc with his fun and games. As soon as he builds a card tower, climbs into a giant spider web, or takes up his pirate sword, here comes the wind: Woosh! Mama Fox tells grumpy Argyle that if he thinks long enough, he will come up with something to do. Following his mother’s suggestion and inspired by her knitting, he works all the pieces of his day together and creates the perfect solution.

Argyle Fox is the story of a young fox determined to play outside, but the wind is making his favorite games impossible to play. I like that he has so many ready options, and that he is willing to keep trying. I was a little annoyed at the need for all the crazy cool props that Fox had to play with, rather than the use of pure imagination and playing with friends. HOwever, when he finally gets around to his final activity attempt he uses some of those props to build his new springtime toy. I understand that he needed some of that stuff to make that possible, and that it made his previous play attempts that much more heartfelt, but I still would have liked more imagination and less costume. That being said, I still loved the book and wish I had some of thase play props when I was a kid.

Argyle Fox is a well drawn picturebook with a nice blend of imagination, lesson sharing, and fun. I love the message about creative thinking and the need to keep on trying. I think it would make a nice addition to school and public library collections.

What an absolutely delightful book! Argyle Fox longs to play outside and has so many great ideas: building a card tower, scary spider and web, pirate and soccer. The wind disrupts each of his activities and his frustration becomes evident. Like most young children, he eventually gives in to pouting and sitting. His mother encourages him to think through the problem and come up with an activity that he can do in the wind. Eventually, Argyle comes up with the perfect solution!
This book has beautiful illustrations done in gouache paint that are only part of why I love this book. There are so many details to draw in the reader and young children will see details in each page.
A big focus in education right now is fostering a growth mindset; problem solving is a big part of that movement and in this book, we see Argyle Fox face discouragement but then working through a problem until he finds a solution. This book will be wonderful with young readers to plant the seeds of overcoming problems and with older readers who can make even more text-to-self connections and open dialogue on problem-solving.

This book is just cute. Cute, cute and fun! Argyle is a young fox who goes out to play games in the wind. His mom has a few thoughts, but he is a busy fellow. Out in the wind Argyle starts having interesting experiences that ultimately lead him to growth and more fun! I really liked the drawings and I enjoyed the book.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

This delightful children's book is about Argyle Fox trying to play outside on a windy spring day. The wind goes "wooosh" and spoils his tall card tower, tangles his yarn web, blows off his pirate hat, blows his ball into a tree and blows apart his castle.
Argyle Fox gathered his things and went home.
"I'm never playing in the wind ever, ever, EVER again!"
Mama Fox suggested that he think and figure out something to play in the wind. After a lot of thought he finally solves the problem.
The whimsical colourful illustrations easily lend themselves to discussions about what is happening and making predictions.
ARGYLE FOX written and illustrated by Marie Letourneau would be a great book to read to young children, and read with early readers. I highly recommend this book for libraries.
5 stars

Special thanks to NetGalley, Tanglewood Publishing, Inc. and the author for providing me with the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

I finally found a hard copy of this little picture book! So cute. Gentle little tale of a little fox wanting to play on a windy game and all his efforts are thwarted by the wind. The his mama tells him to think of something to play with in the wind and Argyle finds a solution! Cute illustrations, too! Little ones will love hearing this story, especially in the spring and tied to a story time craft!

What a charming and beautifully illustrated book this is. We meet and follow Argyle Fox as he struggles to find something to play on a windy day. After trying to build a tower of cards and playing castles Argyle becomes despondent by how the wind ruins his games and he retreats to his room swearing there is nothing he can play when the weather is this windy. His mother encourages him to think of a solution to his problem and while he cannot see any possibilities his creativity soon starts flowing until he thinks of a great way to spend the afternoon in the wind.

The illustrations are beautifully drawn with an attractive colour palate that is very pleasing to the eye.

I would certainly recommend this book to parents and educators as a tool to remind children that being creative can often help us out of a rut and leave us with a feeling of satisfaction in the end.

So much adorableness!!!!! I want to read it again and again, and I'm 35 years old. I don't care! So cute!
Little Argyle wants to play outside, but the strong wind keeps messing up his games, knocking down his fort, and blowing away his hat. He decides that he hates playing in the wind, and sulks indoors until his mother tells him to think carefully of something that would be good to play in the wind. Argyle thinks carefully and creatively to come up with the perfect solution!

Cute little Argyle!! So sweet!! He's full of imagination and really pours himself into his games. Reminds me of me when I was little; I was a very imaginative child who played lots of elaborate games of "pretend" with my siblings. Argyle plays pirates, dresses up like a spider, builds a castle fort, becomes a famous soccer star, and fights a dragon! I love this kid!

I love love love the illustrations. The soft colors and little details in the background make every page a delight! I had to stop and stare at each page for a little minute, to make sure I caught every sweet thing there. But it doesn't feel busy or overwhelming at all; it just gives the story more depth and interest.

When the wind comes whooshing in to ruin the game, I almost felt like I could feel the wind roaring and rushing by me. It reminded me so strongly of windy days on the mountain when I was a child, when the wind would tug at my hair and bring tears to my squinting eyes. It takes a powerful illustration to conjure up memories and feelings like that!

Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.

This book took me awhile to get to due to work and school, but when I finally got around to it, it was worth it! The book is about a little fox named Argyle who really wants to play in the wind, but the wind destroys almost everything he tries to do until he eventually learns that there is one thing he can play in with the wind, and has a great time making it for all of his friends. The art style is absolutely adorable, and the story is very cute and teaches kids to think of a solution to a problem all on their own.

The age-old 'Try, try, and try again, and you will succeed' moral is told in this story using charming illustrations full of color, and a really chweet fox! After trying out a multitude of things (that feel too many for him) to play outside on a windy day, Argyle Fox has decided he does not want to play outside anyways. But his mom's quiet suggestion to think a little harder prompted him to, well, think; and he came up with the perfect solution to enjoy the windy day outside, and have his friends enjoy with what he played with too!! The pictures play their part in the telling of the story too as the wind plays havoc with each of Argyle's creative ideas to play outside, until his final 'eureka' moment.
This is a great read-aloud book where you could possibly enact the scenes either indoors or outdoors to make it a great fun read for young readers.


Reread factor: 3.5/5 (Might get a little repetitive and hence the lower reread factor!)
Reading level: Ages 4-7
Rating: B+

Additional note about the author: Marie also illustrated a few other books that I have truly enjoyed. They include Is a Worry Worrying You?, The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Mermaids, and was the author and illustrator for The Mice of Bistrot des Sept Frères.

An excellent story with a cute lead character and a fun and predicable plot.

Argyle Fox

by Marie Letourneau

Argyle Fox is a cute children’s book about a little fox who wants to go outside to play on a windy day. He has fun, creative ideas for things to play, but other animals warn him that each activity can’t be done in the wind. Argyle Fox takes on various roles, such as spider and pirate, in his efforts at make believe, and the dialogue reflects these characters.

This story would make a good early childhood read aloud with lots of discussion opportunities. Argyle Fox has a simple, predictable story line that is reassuring to children, It encourages vocabulary development and creativity. The illustrations are fun and appropriate to the story. This picture book could be enjoyed in the classroom or at home.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Tanglewood Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Children’s Fiction

Notes: recommended for ages 3-7

Publication: March 14, 2017—Tanglewood Publishing

Suggested Discussion Questions (Things to talk about while reading this book):
1. What fun things did Argyle Fox want to play? Have you ever pretended or played those things?
2. What animal friends gave Argyle Fox advice about the wind? Can you find them in the book?
3. What do these words mean: burrow, castle duel, pirate, plank?
4. Can you act out the story with me?
5. What other things can you play in the wind?
6. What nice thing did Argyle Fox do for his friends?
7. What is argyle? (Search the Internet for “argyle pattern” to share some great examples and for younger children contrast argyle with dots, stripes, plaid, etc.)

4.5 stars.

This is flipping adorable. The illustrations are amazing, and the lesson is one that encourages problem-solving and creativity. Really, you can't go wrong with an adorable fox kit in an argyle sweater.

(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY)

RATING: 4.5 STARS

I loved both the story and the illustrations. Argyle is looking for something to do in the outdoors but it is very windy out. His mother and others warn him that each of his activities will be foiled with the wind...and sadly, it does. Argyle doesn't give up and finds the perfect activity for a windy day. I highly recommend this book!!

Delightful illustrations and a lesson for all, gently told.

Adorable picture book about a fox with BIG personality that teaches to think creatively when you come up across an obstacle. Argyle Fox is charming. The artwork is darling. An all around win.

This story charms the reader with beautiful illustrations that lend themselves to a quirky young fox named Argyle. He ventures forth, determined to enjoy his play time in spite of multiple warnings about the wind. Of course, the wind wreaks havoc with all of his plans, but after some time spent in contemplation, Argyle finds a solution that incorporates all his previous ventures in a new way that includes his friends. What a great story to share with young children to model perseverance, creativity, and sharing.

Recommended for classroom libraries! (5 stars)

Problem solving skills are one of the most important things being taught in today's elementary schools. It builds independence and confidence and fosters a growth mindset. Which is why I loved Argyle Fox immensely. It isn't always easy to find a book where a child character with a problem is given such minimal aid from a guardian and allowed to find a solution on their own.

With charming illustrations and an adorable hero, Argyle Fox, would make both a fantastic bedtime read or addition to a classroom library. While the message of being resourceful and inventive isn't likely to be noticed by children it's sure to inspire similar creative responses. But if not, it's a fun story with cute animals youngsters will enjoy.