In an age when everything (including picture books) is being turned into an app, it is heartening to know that apps are also becoming books. Based on a French-language app, Francis the Little Fox recalls Hervé Tullet’s Press Here, employing smart design to hook tech-savvy kids and demonstrate the wonders of print and a book’s tactility.

Francis the Little Fox is the story of a trip to the laundromat, which becomes an adventure as a result of the rituals Francis has created with his father (and also the presence of the laundromat owner’s naughty granddaughter, Lily). Up to her usual tricks, Lily pours too much detergent into the Foxes’ washing machine, flooding the laundromat with bubbles. In the midst of the soapy chaos, a cat named Mouse gets loose and everyone sets out to find him. When the cat is finally located, Lily has one more trick up her sleeve, involving a giant pair of underpants. The story concludes on an hilarious note that young readers are sure to love.

The book is visually appealing and clever; the simple illustrations are stylish, white space is used interestingly, and blank pages create suspense. The translation from app to text, however, is not entirely smooth. While an app comes alive by animation, an inanimate book must be driven by story. Certain details are extraneous to the plot, and text and image don’t always map properly.
Still, the narrative moves at a good pace, with the wash cycle marking the passage of time, and the overall effect is charming and engaging. Francis the Little Fox shows the richness of small things and the fun that can be found in the everyday. – Kerry Clare