- Graphic Novels
- Ages 10–14
- Contemporary
Jane, the Fox and Me
A multi-award-winning graphic novel of aching truth and beauty: a lonely, bullied girl finds refuge in Jane Eyre, a wild fox and, at last, a real friend. Isabelle Arsenault's illustrations move from grey isolation into blooming colour.
- Best for10–14
- FormatGraphic
- Length104 pp
- Read aloud~49 min
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The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Literary
- Lyrical
Tone
- Bittersweet
- Melancholic
- Heartwarming
- Gentle
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Helene has been quietly, inexplicably cast out by the girls who used to be her friends. Her school days are a fog of whispers, cruel notes and lies, and she has begun to believe the ugliest things they say about her body and herself. Her one refuge is a book, Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, and in Jane's hardships and quiet strength Helene finds someone who understands, someone she can disappear into and, for a while, forget her tormentors. But when she is publicly humiliated on a class camping trip, in front of her entire grade, a fictional heroine is no longer enough. Then, one night, leaving the outcasts' tent, Helene meets a fox: a beautiful, unafraid creature, and shares a moment of pure connection. Slowly, a human friendship follows, and with it the return of hope. Fanny Britt and illustrator Isabelle Arsenault render loneliness in muted greys that blossom into colour as Helene's world reopens. Emotionally truthful and visually stunning, this is a modern classic about bullying, self-worth and the redemptive power of stories.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
An emotionally rich graphic novel for readers of 10-14, and for adults too. It deals frankly with bullying, loneliness and body image, so it best suits older children ready for those themes, offering real comfort and plenty to talk about.
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- Best fit · 10–14
- Read aloud · 9–12
- Independent · 10–14
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Workable
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Works well for
- Gift-buying
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: bullying, body image.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Sensitive readers
- Book lovers
- Emotional stories
- Tweens
Avoid if
- Wants light fun
- Wants action
Particularly good for children who are…
- Being bullied
- Low self esteem
- Making friends
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Helene feels invisible and picked on, and the only place she feels safe is inside a book, until a fox and a new friend change everything. It's quietly powerful and easy to see yourself in, and the way the grey pictures burst into colour says what words can't.
- Being understood finally
- Friendship and belonging
Why parents love it
Britt and Arsenault handle bullying, loneliness and body image with rare honesty and grace, and the art, shifting from grey to colour, is simply stunning. Award-winning and deeply moving, it's a book to share, discuss and return to with an older child.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Conversation starter
- Great writing
About the creators
About the creators.
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