Empty Nest Mummy

For my first book review, apart from of a cookery book, I’m going for a kids’ book. A cop-out, you think?

I don’t think so, and I’ll tell you why in a second. But first, let me tell you what we’ve just read, and why I want to do a book review on it. It’s a novel called Pax by Sara Pennypacker, and its front cover includes a testimonial from The Guardian who call it

A heart-wrenching masterpiece

Now, perhaps this alone is enough for you to head off and buy it without reading my review. And that’s fine. Just fine. Simply head on over here and you can buy it from Amazon.

(I’m an affiliate for Amazon, so please note that I’ll get a teeny tiny commission if you buy it from this link. But, don’t worry, it won’t cost you a penny extra. And, if enough people buy from the link, I’ll be able to treat myself to a coffee one day!).

But first, why have I chosen to do a book review on Pax, a kids’ book?

I guess the first reason is that it’s summer holiday time and I have no childcare. Actually, for 3 weeks of the summer, it’s just me and the kids 24/7, so it’s bloody hard to actually get time for a grown-up book!

But, more importantly, I really rate reading to kids. My kids are 7 and 5 now and are more than able enough to read their own books. And they do. Especially the 5 year old who rarely has her nose out of a book.

But there’s something so very special about sitting down with your kids, reading something to them. I get to catch up on all the close proximity to them that I’ve been aching for while they’ve been at school. We snuggle together on the sofa, on the pool loungers, on our Thai pillows in the shade, and we relax.

And they listen. They really do listen. And I stop to explain meanings of words, of phrases. Of why the author might have chosen to express themselves in a particular way.

And it’s a great opportunity to discuss the big stuff too. Like with Pax by Sara Pennypacker.

Pax by Sara Pennypacker

Before I tell you what we liked and didn’t like about the book, let me give you a quick rundown of what it’s about. Or better still, let me tell you what the blurb says!

‘I had a fox. I have a fox…We left him on the side of the road. My dad said we had to, but I should never have done it’.

Pax and Peter have been inseparable ever since Peter rescued him as a cub. But when Peter is forced to return his fox to the wild his world is torn apart.

Despite the encroaching war, and the three hundred miles between them, Peter sets out, to find his fox. Meanwhile Pax waits hopefully for his boy…

It was the combination of this compelling blurb and the really cute fox illustration on the front cover that made me add this to our Summer Holiday Reading.

And I hoped the animal part would engage my animal-loving 5 year old, and the element of war my history-loving 7 year old.

Pax: The first page

I’ll admit that I did also take a quick read of the first page of Pax by Sara Pennypacker before I bought it. If you’re going to read a slightly more grown up tale (recommended reading age 9+) to a 5 year old, it’s got to have a strong start.

For her age, she has a very good attention span. But, she is only 5 so I need to get something to grab her by the throat straight away.

And, Sara Pennypacker, you certainly did this!

The story begins with the boy and his dad driving out to the countryside with the boy’s pet fox, Pax. But, unbeknownst to the fox, who was rescued by the boy as an orphaned kit at just a few weeks old, this is not just a drive out to the countryside.

Because war is coming, the boy’s dad is joining the army, the boy is having to go to his grandfather’s and Pax, the fox, cannot go.

And, as I read the first page to the kids, you could have heard a pin drop. I don’t think either of them made a sound, or even took a breath, until the end of the first chapter. A very promising start.

And they both wanted me to carry on. Begged me for chapter after chapter after chapter.

The voice of the book

The first chapter has the silhouette of a little fox at the beginning. And it is the beginning of the tale from the point of view of Pax, the little fox. The next chapter starts with a very cute silhouette of a boy, and moves to the boy’s story as he is left at his grandfather’s house.

And, throughout the whole novel, the tale alternates from the boy’s tale to that of the fox. Onward and onward, as they get closer and closer to each other. Closer and closer to (we hoped) reuniting with each other, and to war, and danger.

Grown-up themes

Pax by Sara Pennypacker has a recommended reading age of 9+, and deals with some very grown-up themes. There’s an undercurrent of violence from Peter’s father and the deep sadness of the boy himself. Not just because of the loss of his beloved fox, but also because of the abrupt loss of his mother.

And war. As Peter strives against the odds to find his way back to Pax, war moves ever closer. War with its destruction and devestation. And its cost.

Peter figured he knew what was coming. “Like war. Now you’re anti-war, right?”

Vola steepled her fingers under her chin. “That’s a complicated thing. What I am is for telling the truth about what war costs. That’s taken me a long time to figure out.”

And this started a long, and really rather grown-up conversation about the cost of war. In what is probably one of my highlights of our summer, Big Boy realised that there is not just a monetary cost of war. There is the cost of loss of life and of limb.

Pax by Sara Pennypacker: thumbs up or thumbs down?

If you’re expecting any more information on the story from this book review, you’re not getting it. Jog on!

It was just too good, too compelling. You really need to read this yourself.

But, do make sure you keep a tissue handy for the ending. In the last few chapters, Littlest Angel realised that I had goosebumps.

Aged 44, reading a child’s book with a recommended reading age of 9+, I had goosebumps! Followed by big old snivels. Followed by uncontrollable tears!

So, go on, head on over here to Amazon and buy Pax by Sara Pennypacker. The guy in the bookshop told me that he thinks it’s the next Watership Down. And, do you know what? I think he might be right.

(I plan on adding more Book Reviews to the Empty Nest Mummy blog. Add your details to join our free mailing list, and you’ll get each and every review straight to your inbox)