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What Does the Fox Say? | May 18, 2016

by Ylvis and Christian Løchstøer, illustrated by Svein Nyhus (Simon and Schuster, 2013)

It doesn’t seem like that long ago when everyone was bopping their heads along to the YouTube sensation “What Does the Fox Say?” at their desk, on the train, or in their car. The song’s picture book adaptation followed shortly after the craze exploded into mainstream culture, proving to be a successful venture into how fast a publisher can get a book to market following this type of fad. In case you missed the “What Does the Fox Say?” wave, the song explores what sounds a fox might make. After all, if a “cat goes meow,” and a “dog goes woof,” what is the fox’s signature noise? The Norwegian brother duo known as Ylvis set out to find this answer.

The text and illustrations pair together nicely. The absurdist art style, which ranges from cute and abstract to comically sinister—sometimes all on one page—complements the fun, nonsensical nature of the song in what’s sure to be an interactive bedtime story. Parents can even go so far as to have their kids read along with the song lyrics, harking back to the old book-and-tape/CD days. The book is rather short and doesn’t include the entire lyrics, perhaps enhancing its re-readability. That is, until we find the answer to the burning question that defines one of life’s greatest mysteries: “What does the fox say?”

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