More than likely your tongue isn't exactly numb right now. Will it be when you've finished reading through my review? Hopefully just the tip of it atleast! You can partake of the entire tongue numbing experience by reading through one of Dr. Suess' volumes of absurdity, Fox in Socks. This book happens to be my favorite Dr. Suess title and is well on its way to becoming my 4 year old daughter's as well.

"Fox

Socks

Box

Knox"

Pretty simple stuff you say? Don't unleash the overconfidence monster quite yet. He may end up being scared away all too soon by what Dr. Suess has waiting around the corner for him. The four words you see quoted above are the first four words in this story. They provide you with a (very) brief introduction to the two main characters in this book, Mr. Fox and Mr. Knox.

"Socks on Knox
and Knox in box."

"Fox in socks
on box on Knox."

You see Mr. Fox is quite playful. He tries his best to convince old Mr. Knox to play several games along with him. As is demonstrated in the very comical illustrations, Mr. Fox is NOT the least bit thrilled with these games. But being the good sport he is, Mr. Knox continues to play the game much to Mr. Fox's amusement.


Here are Mr. Fox's instructions to Mr. Knox on how they'll do their first 'trick'.

"First, I'll make a
quick trick brick stack.
Then I'll make a
quick trick block stack."

"You can make a
quick trick chick stack.
You can make a quick trick clock stack"

Sounds easy enough, huh? Well, between all of the ticks and clocks and chicks and tocks, Mr. Knox does finally break down and tell Mr. Fox that he just cannot do it. His tongue isn't quick or slick. Mr. Fox does respond empathetically but in almost the same breath offers up an 'easy' game to play. Can anyone guess 'who sew's whose socks'? Sue sews Sue's socks-of course!

Nothing comes easy for poor Mr. Knox. He has several break downs throughout the story becoming visibly more and more aggravated with his tongue's inability to keep up with Mr. Fox. Readers can easily relate to Mr. Knox especially when only halfway through the story you begin to doubt your own ability to go on. You feel even more threatened when you remember the little stamp on the corner front cover of this book that states 'Beginner Book. I Can Read It All By Myself'. It's that fact compounded with the puzzled look on your child's face when you stop for a breather that gets you chugging away again like that little engine in your mind saying 'I think I can, I think I can'. But can you?

"When a fox is
in the bottle where
the tweetle beetles battle
with their paddles
in a puddle on a
noodle-eating poodle,
THIS is what they call...
..a tweetle beetle
noodle poodle bottled
paddled muddled duddled
fuddled wuddled
fox in socks, sir!"

Feeling a bit discombobulated upstairs yet? Great! That means you're really taking in the purely innocent essence of this totally ludicrous book. The ending is quite funny and leaves the reader -especially the aggravated one who is fed up with Mr. Fox's antics- with a sense of completeness, aside from the fact that it's the end of the story. (no, there's not any violence)

Don't be surprised if your little one asks you to read this book 'one more time,' before bedtime. With 61 pages full of tongue-twisting fun, it's a great way to end your day with a smile. We couldn't let a little numbing of the tongue get in the way of your child's enjoyment now could we??

Recommended: Yes