Cover Image: The Woods

The Woods

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

What a fun little bedtime story! Perfect for really young kids as it has a lot happening on each page. You (and the kiddo) will be engaged by these foxes and the pesky rabbits they are looking for. A cute little twist at the end, as all children's books tend to have these days.
But the truly best part is watching where the worm goes on each page!

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, Rob Hodgkin, and NetGalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a cute story!!!!! And the illustrations are absolutely beautiful! It is fun, funny, and had a wonderful surprise ending!!!! I think young children would get a kick out of this one!!!

Was this review helpful?

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this author and his books. They are always so fun and parents will enjoy just as much as their children.

Was this review helpful?

The Woods by Rob Hodgson is a children’s fiction book with creative and colorful illustrations. It is an interesting and fun story about three hungry foxes in the woods looking for rabbits. But, the foxes don’t know they just might be the ones being followed. This is a book best for ages 4-7. The animals can really be silly in this story.
It is also great with repetition and characters exploring under, through and all over looking for the rabbits. Readers and young listeners will enjoy this story. But, there are a few things to know about this table-turning story. There is some name calling, which might send a wrong message, yet could be a way to spark a conversation about this type of action and why it is upsetting to call someone a not-so-nice name or being a bully. They use the word “stupid” which is a word often frowned upon in schools, for example. Again, it is a cute story and might be a good example to get a conversation started on how not to act when it comes to name calling and bullying as it is not a big part of this silly story.

Was this review helpful?

This is an interesting story. You have three foxes, who just want to catch some dinner. Foxes eat rabbits. Then you have smart rabbits who outwit the foxes. Seems simple enough, but there were some things about this story that just didn't do it for me. The foxes tried to eat other things like doughnuts and acorns, but the smallest fox told them that foxes eat rabbits. No matter what they tried, they could not find any rabbits to eat. The main issue I had with this book is the name calling. I do not condone name calling for any reason and found this to be something I did not want to read to my grandchildren. What I can say I liked about the story was the illustrations. They were cute, colourful and inviting. I also liked the ingenuity of the rabbits. As a retired teacher who dealt with bullying and name calling regularly, I can not recommend this one.

Was this review helpful?

Rob Hodgson is quickly becoming a new favorite picture book creator for this reviewer. His illustrations are amazing, and he has a tongue in cheek humor that adults see coming a mile away, but the journey is so much fun. This time there are three foxes on the hunt for rabbits. But those sneaky little rabbits are hard to find. This is really fun book to add to any children’s collection.

Was this review helpful?

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. "The Woods" is another hysterical book by Rob Hodgson. This book will make a great read-aloud and plan to use it for summer storytimes.

Was this review helpful?

I loved the look of the foxes on the cover of this book, which is largely why I read it. Following the foxes as they hunted for rabbits, following signs to an obvious trap, was kind of fun. An observant preschooler may catch the joke. Cute, quick entertainment.

Was this review helpful?

My six year old son and I loved this book! The illustrations are really cool; the story could come across as twee without this, and it really adds to the appeal of the book.

The story features three foxes who are on the hunt for rabbits. From the start of the book my son was asking questions about whether the foxes were bad guys or not, and this led to some great conversations. As the story progresses, our enjoyment level (and laughter levels) grew and it was almost a shame when the story finished.

We'll definitely be seeking out other books by Rob Hodgson as we enjoyed this one so much.

Was this review helpful?

I read this book to my boys before bed tonight. We all laughed at how silly the foxes looked (Round, Tall, & Tiny), and couldn’t believe they kept missing all the rabbits. We loved trying to find the worm on each page and giggled on what new accessory he was wearing. (The favorite was the witch’s hat in the pumpkin patch.) And we cheered when the rabbits caught the foxes at the end.

My boys, a 6- & 4-year-old, thoroughly enjoyed the story. I, however, an avid children’s book reader and former Kindergarten teacher, enjoyed most of the story, but was less excited by the final pages. It felt rushed and not planned out, leaving the audience wondering HOW and WHY the rabbits caught the foxes and WHAT they were going to do with them now? Also, the word ‘stupid’ is taboo in most classrooms these days, so I would worry about how many teachers would want to pick it up for their classrooms.

Overall, though, I enjoyed the premise of the story and how it was executed throughout most of the book.

3.5 Stars

Thank You to Quarto Publishing and NetGalley for this digital copy to read and review!

Was this review helpful?

This is a great fun fable for small kids who like to read about nature. The three foxes are hunting rabbits for dinner, but somehow they don't seem to find any, although a few rabbit ears are visible on each page.

Enjoy. Early readers up to age of six will like the tale. The illustrations are a bit cartoony but make the woods vividly real.
I downloaded an ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.

Was this review helpful?

What a cute simple, little book! “The Woods” is a sweet and lovely tale about silly foxes. It is written by the author, Rob Hodgson and follows on from ‘The Cave’.

Three foxes are on the hunt for rabbits in the woods. They search through carrot fields and pumpkin patches, but the rabbits keep outsmarting them. Will they ever find any rabbits? Are they themselves, being hunted?

Visually, the book was extremely engaging. The foxes were brilliantly illustrated I loved that the three foxes were all individual and unique to one another. Rob used this to great effect throughout the story and it added great impact to the ending. As they hunted, the foxes argued amongst themselves, which made for a few laugh-out-loud moments. The sly rabbits dotted throughout and the illustrations not only added interest to the book but also helped with thought and reasoning abilities.

I adored the twist at the end, not often seen in a children’s book, which was achieved through clever use of the illustrations. The book was packed with humour and how fabulous was the reference to doughnuts!

I found this book funny and entertaining and I really appreciated this lovely, winsome tale. I would definitely recommend it and I think the book would make a lovely addition to any family library.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for the complimentary ARC. This is my honest and totally voluntary opinion.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed the art style, but I found the story a bit uneven - although a lot of fun and I really enjoyed the twist. I don't think the pace and storytelling will diminish the enjoyment of the little one - especially since it's really fun!

Was this review helpful?

Three foxes go into the woods rabbit hunting. They look high and low but cannot find any rabbits. After several mishaps, they see a huge shape that must be a rabbit. The run to it, only to learn that it was really three rabbits setting a trap for the foxes.

This is a cute book for preschoolers. My grandson had fun pointing out the eyes of rabbits that the foxes were missing. The story is engaging and smooth. The words are age appropriate. The illustrations are great. There are one tall, one small and one fat fox. There are one tall, one small and one fat rabbit. Their sizes play into each one’s ability to hunt. The facial expressions are a riot.

This is just a fun, fun book. It teaches the lesson to look around and be aware of the surroundings.


I received an ARC from Quarto Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.

Was this review helpful?

** I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley and Fances Lincoln Children's Books to review**

I liked this book. Bold illustrations, simple text and easily recognisable characters will appeal to younger readers, as will the ignorance of the foxes as they are searching for the rabbits. I can easily imagine the squeals of delight from young children as they spot the rabbits on each page that the foxes say ‘no rabbits here’. I also think that children will enjoy the twist in the tale as the books ends.

Was this review helpful?

Three foxes are on the hunt for rabbits, but they can't seem to find any, despite the signs pointing them in the right direction and the eyes that are staring at them.

I enjoyed the bright illustrations, and the story had potential. I was slightly put off by the use of name-calling. For example, the word "numbskull" and "stupid" were used in the text.

Was this review helpful?

This is a very humorous book. In many ways it reminds me of old cartoons, the story line, the language, the pursuers being outsmarted. The illustrations are also great, adding more to the story. I think this would be a perfect one for young students or kids at story time to giggle about.

Was this review helpful?

I love stories set in the forest and featuring woodland animals so I wanted to read this. It follows three very different foxes as they follow the usefully-placed signs in search of rabbits for their dinner. And yet, is there something else hunting them...?
Young children will enjoy spotting the rabbits hiding in each picture and the ending should get a few giggles.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a lovely book which will make a fantastic read aloud to use with a class. I can just imagine the expression that we will get into the children's reading as they engage with the three not-so-cunning foxes hunting the rabbits throughout the woods.

Visually, the book is highly engaging. The foxes are brilliantly illustrated with a hint of Dahl's Boggis, Bunce and Bean in their physicality. The sneaky rabbits dotted throughout will add discussion and the illustrations not only bring the book to life but will help build inference and deduction skills.

This would make lovely addition to a class or school library.

Was this review helpful?

A mostly cute story about three foxes trying to hunt rabbits in the woods, but failing to do so. The rabbits are just too smart for them, and catch the foxes in the end. The illustrations are really fun, and little ones will enjoy seeing the rabbits hiding in the scenery. Also, there's a little pink worm somewhere in each picture, and I'm not ashamed to admit I enjoy looking for him! The not so cute part was a bit of name calling- the foxes call each other numbskulls at one point, and the foxes are referred to as stupid at the end. It's just the two times name calling happens, but still. Overall, though, a fun story.

Was this review helpful?