Little Fennec Fox and Jerboa by Ian Whybrow (illustrated by Susan Batori, as credited on the cover) is a Turquoise band reader in Cambridge Reading Adventures for Class 3 at Lahore Grammar School (LGS). The cover shows a long-eared golden fox with a long muzzle looking sideways, and a tiny jerboa peeking out of a hole in the sand, against a dark-blue night sky.
Pakistan has its own desert, so a story about desert animals fits well. In the 2027-28 session it gives Class 3 readers a chance to read longer paragraphs and watch a clever little animal win.
What happens in the book
According to the teaching notes, Little Fennec Fox feels he is now old enough to go hunting on his own. But Jerboa is too clever for him. The story offers opportunities for children to monitor their comprehension of the text through longer paragraphs and more sustained events, relying less on the illustrations to support meaning. The text identifies why foxes hunt at night: it is cooler, ‘now that the heat of the day had gone’. It also makes clear that Fennec Fox is a cub, which implies he is not an experienced hunter.
Fronted adverbials show time and place (‘On the other side of the hill …’), word order is varied for literary effect (‘Out popped two tiny ears.’), and comparative words (‘smaller’, ‘closer’) and literary language (‘as fast as he could’) show the relationship between the two animals. Doubling consonants appears when endings are added (‘spotted’, ‘hopping’). On page 4 Little Fennec Fox describes how his nose and ears help him hunt, and on page 6 Jerboa describes himself; the physical features of both animals matter to what happens.
What your child learns from it
The publisher’s teaching notes list these learning outcomes. A child who reads this book can:
- sustain meaning when reading longer sentences of more than one clause;
- use punctuation and text layout to read with a greater range of expression;
- read more complex words using a range of strategies, including known vocabulary, phonic knowledge and syllables.
How to read it together at home
The guided reading lesson printed in the book gives a simple routine you can follow:
- Give your child the book and read the title and blurb together. Discuss what to expect: will it be funny? Will it be true to life? Show photographs of real fennec foxes and jerboas if your child does not know them.
- Say: in this story Little Fennec Fox thinks he is ready to go hunting by himself. He says he is going to catch a jerboa. I wonder if he will?
- Turn to page 2 and ask your child to read the first paragraph quietly. Ask: why do you think foxes hunt at night? Find the words that tell us.
- On page 4, read his speech with expression, noting the varied sentence lengths.
- On page 6, look at Jerboa’s description of himself and talk about how it matters to the story.
Fun learning links beyond the book
For science, children could research non-fiction texts to find out more about fennec foxes and jerboas, and compile non-chronological reports about these creatures. Why does a fennec fox have such big ears? Why does it hunt at night? For geography, explore the desert landscape and climate of the desert using non-fiction sources; the notes suggest ‘A World of Deserts’ (Gold band) in the same series.
About the Turquoise band
At Turquoise band the publisher expects richer descriptions of people and places, less common vocabulary and the use of spelling patterns to work out new words.
Who, when, where and why
Whom: Class 3 children (about eight years old). When: during the 2027-28 session. Where: at school and at home. Why: to practise reading longer paragraphs and varied sentence structures in an animal story. Most LGS campuses use the same books, though a few follow their own list in some subjects. Tell us your child’s campus on WhatsApp and we will check before the parcel leaves.
Frequently asked questions
What is a jerboa?
A small desert rodent with long back legs; the story shows Jerboa as clever and quick.
Who illustrated it?
Susan Batori is credited on the cover.
What band is it?
Turquoise band.
Little Fennec Fox and Jerboa is available now. Order online, pay on delivery anywhere in Pakistan, or collect it in Lahore. Buying the whole class list? WhatsApp us the list and we will confirm every title in one go.
