Fox, Diane

Personal

Born in England; married Christyan Fox (an illustrator).

Addresses

Home—Thames Ditton, Surrey, England.

Career

Children's book author.

Writings

Goodnight, PiggyWiggy, illustrated by Christyan Fox, Handprint Books (Brooklyn, NY), 2000.

Count to Ten, PiggyWiggy!, illustrated by Christyan Fox, Handprint Books (Brooklyn, NY), 2001.

Cat and Mouse: The Hole Story, illustrated by Christyan Fox, Handprint Books (Brooklyn, NY), 2001.

Fire Fighter PiggyWiggy, illustrated by Christyan Fox, Handprint Books (Brooklyn, NY), 2001, published as Fireman PiggyWiggy, Little Tiger (London, England), 2001.

Bathtime PiggyWiggy, illustrated by Christyan Fox, Handprint Books (Brooklyn, NY), 2001.

What Color Is That, PiggyWiggy?, illustrated by Christyan Fox, Handprint Books (Brooklyn, NY), 2001.

Around the World PiggyWiggy, illustrated by Christyan Fox, Handprint Books (New York, NY), 2002.

What Shape Is That, PiggyWiggy?, illustrated by Christyan Fox, Handprint Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Astronaut PiggyWiggy, illustrated by Christyan Fox, Handprint Books (New York, NY), 2002, published as Spaceman PiggyWiggy, Little Tiger (London, England), 2002.

What's the Opposite, PiggyWiggy?, illustrated by Christyan Fox, Handprint Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Pirate PiggyWiggy, illustrated by Christyan Fox, Handprint Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Jungle Street Hide-and-Seek, illustrated by Christyan Fox, Campbell (London, England), 2005.

Tyson the Terrible, illustrated by Christyan Fox, Bloomsbury Children's Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Sidelights

Husband-and-wife team Diane and Christyan Fox are the talents behind numerous picture books for children, among them the popular interactive "PiggyWiggy" series. Readers meet the Foxes' engaging porker in books such Goodnight, PiggyWiggy, Bathtime PiggyWiggy, and What Shape Is That, PiggyWiggy?, all which feature lift-the-flap elements that bring to life a simple concept via Christyan Fox's cartoon art. It is time for bed as PiggyWiggy imagines growing up to become everything from a fireman to a pirate in Goodnight PiggyWiggy, while Bathtime PiggyWiggy finds the pig taking another imaginative voyage while watching his toy boat in the tub. A globe transports the imaginative character in Around the World PiggyWiggy, where the career possibilities span both time and geography: from a Roman gladiator to a climber tackling Mount Everest. Simple concepts are the focus of What's the Opposite, PiggyWiggy?, What Shape Is That, PiggyWiggy?, and What

Color Is That, PiggyWiggy?, all of which feature both PiggyWiggy and his beloved teddy bear. Citing Diane Fox's use of "relatively challenging vocabulary," a Kirkus Reviews contributor praised Bathtime PiggyWiggy for its "simple, crayon-drawn forms, and saturated colors." "There's a sense of joyous abandon as PiggyWiggy lives out his dreams," Stephanie Zvirin observed of the same title in Booklist, while Sally Bates Goodroe concluded in School Library Journal that Count to Ten, PiggyWiggy! is "clever and fun for the toddler crowd."

In addition to their "PiggyWiggy" books, the Foxes have also created several stand-alone picture books. In Tyson the Terrible a trio of young dinosaurs is fearful at the crashing sounds of an approaching Tyrannosaurus until they meet up with the lumbering creature and realize that Tyson is actually lonely. Citing the book's "kid-friendly format, cheerful colors, and laugh-aloud ending," School Library Journal critic Lynne Mattern praised Tyson the Terrible as "a definite crowd pleaser," while a Kirkus Reviews writer dubbed it "a bouncy little tale with a winning finale." Another stand-alone board-covered book by Fox and Fox, Cat and Mouse: The Hole Story, mixes die-cut pages with a humorous tale of a mouse escaping from a chubby kitty, serving up "an entertaining choice" for the story-hour set, according to School Library Journal contributor Melinda Piehler.

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 1, 2001, Shelley Townsend-Hudson, reviews of What Color Is That, PiggyWiggy? and Count to Ten, PiggyWiggy!, p. 1478; May 1, 2001, Ilene Cooper, review of Fire Fighter PiggyWiggy, p. 1689; February 1, 2002, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Bathtime PiggyWiggy, p. 946.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June, 2002, review of What's the Opposite, PiggyWiggy?, p. 364.

Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2001, review of Bathtime, PiggyWiggy, p. 1483; December 1, 2006, review of Tyson the Terrible, p. 1219.

School Library Journal, December, 2000, JoAnn Jonas, review of Goodnight PiggyWiggy, p. 108; May, 2001, Linda M. Kenton, review of Fire Fighter PiggyWiggy, p. 115; August, 2001, Sally Bates Goodroe, reviews of What Color Is That, PiggyWiggy? and Count to Ten, PiggyWiggy!, p. 146; December, 2001, Melinda Piehler, review of Cat and Mouse: The Hole Story, p. 100; January, 2002, Melinda Piehler, review of Bathtime PiggyWiggy, p. 98; June, 2002, Lisa Smith, review of What Shape Is That, PiggyWiggy?, p. 94; July, 2002, Linda Ludke, review of Astronaut PiggyWiggy, p. 90; June, 2003, Melinda Piehler, review of Pirate PiggyWiggy, p. 99; February, 2007, Lynne Mattern, review of Tyson the Terrible, p. 86.