Instructions
Today, you'll be exploring the world through the eyes, ears, and nose of a fox! Based on the book Pax, these activities will challenge you to think and write from Pax's unique perspective. Remember, a fox doesn't understand the world the same way a human does. Focus on scents, sounds, and feelings.
Activity 1: A Different Point of View
Read the following short passage, which is told from Peter's perspective. Your task is to rewrite the entire passage in the space below, but this time, from Pax's point of view. How would Pax experience this moment? What would he smell, see, and feel? What would he call the car or the toy soldier?
Peter's heart hammered in his chest as he opened the car door. He grabbed the green plastic soldier and threw it as hard as he could into the forest. He watched his fox, a flash of red fur, joyfully chase after it. Tears blurring his vision, Peter scrambled back into the car. The engine roared to life, and the car sped away down the highway, leaving the woods behind.
Now, rewrite the story from Pax's perspective here:
Activity 2: Fox Talk
Pax doesn't use human words for many things. He describes them based on what they are like to him. Match the human object or concept in Column A with how Pax might describe it in Column B. Draw a line to connect the correct pairs.
| Column A (Human Words) | Column B (Pax's Perspective) | |
| 1. A car | A. The sharp scent of wrongness | |
| 2. War | B. The two-legs who are sick with war | |
| 3. A highway | C. My boy | |
| 4. Soldiers | D. A noisy, stinking metal beast | |
| 5. Peter | E. The hard, black river that smells of tar |
Activity 3: A Fox's Diary
Imagine you are Pax. It has been a few weeks since your boy left you. You have just met a wild vixen named Bristle for the first time. Write a short diary entry about this meeting. What did she look like? What did she smell like? Was she friendly or hostile? What did you learn from her in your first meeting?
Dear Diary (or... Dear Pine Tree?),
Answer Key
Activity 1: A Different Point of View
Answers will vary, but should include some of the following ideas:
- Pax notices the scent of his boy's fear and sadness ("salt-water scent," "sour scent of anxiety").
- He doesn't see it as being abandoned, but as a game.
- The car is described as a "metal beast" or "monster" that smells bad and is very loud.
- Pax is focused on the toy ("my soldier," "the small human-thing").
- He feels confusion and panic when he returns and finds his boy gone.
Example Answer: The scent of my boy's distress filled the stinking metal beast. His heart pounded like a trapped bird's wing. The door opened and he threw my soldier! A game! I leaped out, my paws meeting the soft earth. The scent of pine and damp leaves was wonderful. I followed the familiar scent of my toy and snatched it up. I turned, my tail wagging, ready for the next throw. But the beast was rumbling. It began to move away down the black, hard river, taking my boy's scent with it until it was gone. He was gone.
Activity 2: Fox Talk
- A car → D. A noisy, stinking metal beast
- War → A. The sharp scent of wrongness
- A highway → E. The hard, black river that smells of tar
- Soldiers → B. The two-legs who are sick with war
- Peter → C. My boy
Activity 3: A Fox's Diary
Answers will vary. The entry should be written in the first person from Pax's perspective. It should describe Bristle using sensory details (smell of wild fox, look of her fur, sound of her bark/snarl) and Pax's feelings (curiosity, fear, loneliness, hope).