Mungo on His Own by Matthew Burgess,Julie Benbassat

Mungo the fox is hungry after dinner, so his mother lets him go into the forest at dark to eat some red berries. But Mungo has never foraged on his own in the cold, dark forest. First, Mungo is frightened by a big sound in a bush. Is it a wolf or a boar or a bear? Mungo then growls and dashes across a road as a scary car drives past. His heart races. Soon, Mungo regrets leaving his den, but he remembers all things his mother taught him to survive. Mungo bravely steps out and uses his nose to find the delicious, red berries. Suddenly, snow, something Mungo has never seen, starts to fall, and he plays till it is time to return to his proud mother.

Matthew Burgess has written a wonderful tale about adventuring out into the world and feeling fear, but also learning to think on one’s feet, or paws as the case may be. He also writes about the joys that can be found in facing ones fears. This is a wonderful story to encourage more timid listeners.