The Fox and the Star

Story

In a deep forest there is a Fox, who only has one friend, Star. Star guides Fox through the dark forest, giving him light to find food and dance in the rain. One night Fox can't see Star. He sets out on a journey through the forest to look for his friend.

Why we chose it

Fox and Star is a beautifully designed book with striking artwork and a gentle story about love and loss. The double paged spreads are stunning and the way that the words are sometimes incorporated into the intricate design is particularly striking.

Where it came from

Coralie Bickford-Smith is a designer and creator who works in-house at Penguin. The Fox and the Star was inspired by the graphic design work of William Morris. Her designs have been featured in The New York Times, Vogue and The Guardian, attracting international awareness with her Penguin Classics Clothbound book cover series. She lives in South-East London, where she designs, writes and illustrates book covers for a variety of literature. She has also had a range of exhibitions in London, Sweden, Berlin and Portugal.

Where it went next

The Fox and the Star won the Waterstones Book of the Year award in 2015, making Coralie an award-winning designer. The book has been so popular that she has designed a Set of Note Cards, Envelopes and a Keepsake Journal, all with The Fox and the Star branding. She also sells framed prints of illustrations from the book itself, signed and limited edition. These include: The Fox and the Leaves and The Fox and the Star.

Associated stories

She has two other stories that are illustrated in the same style, called The Worm and the Bird (2017) and The Song of the Tree (2020). From 2014-2021, she has been commissioned to design other book titles, ranging from Paradise Lost by John Milton, to Animal Farm by George Orwell. As well these, she has also designed special editions for Penguin India, and a series of Leather-bound Classics for Penguin UK.