Wandering through a winter forest, a lonely fox has an enchanting vision and then finds the companionship for which he has been longing Kindergarten-Grade 5 A bold, yet gentle, book about a fox on a cold winter night. The simple story begins ``In a faraway forest, near a faraway mountain, it is a cold silent night.'' It is the compelling power of the colored woodcuts that will attract readers to this book; but on more careful consideration, readers will find that the text conveys the quiet sensitivity of haiku poetry which perfectly matches the Japanese woodcuts. The cold lavender and blue backgrounds and the stretch of shadows on the frozen snow add to the stillness of the place and the loneliness of the fox. The only other living creature seen in the forest is a snow hare who seems almost to bound from the page as the fox chases him, leaving the fox alone once more in a strange place. Looking at the frozen trees, he imagines ice animals in the branches. With the coming of morning, however, comes the promise of another springtime and a mate. Thus, the cyclical nature of the text leaves readers with both a sense of satisfaction and with the anticipation of promises yet to be fulfilled. This is a perfect read-aloud for the quiet contemplation of nature for, like all poetry, these words need to be heard as well as seen; and the illustrations are even more startling and powerful from across the room than they are close-up. Kay E. Vandergrift, School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.