A fox named Fred quests for a life away from his native city. The opening double-page spread features a background of what looks like dark-blue construction paper, foregrounded by the geometrical shapes of a city at night. A slender, orange fox with white feet, oversized head, and large eyes that recall Jon Klassen's art peers toward the next page. Dark, large words proclaim, "This is Fred. He lived in the middle of a big city." Readers learn that Fred doesn't like the smoke, noise, and fast action of the city—unlike his cousins, who happily use Fred as lookout as they attempt to raid some garbage cans. When the inevitable garbage-can fiasco ends, Fred talks to various animals to find out what is beyond the city. He believes there must be something that's more to his liking, and a bird confirms that a place called "the wild" has wind blowing through trees with spreading branches. Each colorful painting shows the different places the fox encounters as he makes his way from urban to rural—from city outskirts past the harbor and a junkyard and finally into a tunnel. The tunnel spread is engaging: against a totally black background, staring eyes and mottled steppingstones marking a path for the courageous fox stand out. In a nice twist, the ending defies the familiar "no place like home" trope. There's lots that appeals: a polite but determined fox, just enough danger, and plenty of colorful art. (Picture book. 3-6)

Fred, a fox, lives in a big city with his cousins. They love the city, but Fred finds it "smoky, noisy, and very, very fast." He watches birds fly overhead and wonders where they're going. After conversing with a wild goose, he begins to long for the wild. One day, frightened by a construction truck, he runs into a dark tunnel and finally emerges . . . in the wild, where the trees are greener, the ground is softer, the air is cleaner, and the smells and sounds are wonderful. There a friendly fox asks him, "Do you know where the birds go?" McFarland uses crayon, acrylic, and watercolor very effectively in the attractive digital collage illustrations, which depict Fred as an amiable, curious character against backdrops that contrast the city and countryside settings. Reminiscent of Aesop's fable "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse," this pleasing picture book offers its own narrative exploring the urban versus rural contrast, as well as an open-ended conclusion.