Lucy and the Waterfox — David Robinson

Lucy is a little red fox who has a secret; she can fly. Her heart soars when she takes to the skies. One afternoon, after her fellow foxes see her flying, they shame her, yelling, Everyone knows that foxes can't fly. Lucy hears their words and for a brief moment, believes them, and falls to the ground. This only reinforces her self-doubt. She begins to lose her playful spunk and the sheen of her coat grows duller by the day. Lucy has become a sad, disheartened, and disempowered little fox. One night the wise old story fox appears out of the forest to share an evening of foxlore with Lucy's pack. He tells the story of Milton, a young fox that was long ago banished from the land for learning to swim like a fish. It was the banishment of Milton that gave rise to the popular saying used by older foxes when they see the young ones straying, You don't want to end up like Milton, remember, ... and they chant, Neither fox nor fish. The old story fox's tale unsettles Lucy. After tossing and turning and trying to sleep (counting sheep doesn't work for a fox), Lucy goes to the pond for a drink. There, she meets the wise old story-fox. Through the magic of this encounter, she learns to believe in herself again, her paws lift from the ground and she, once again, points her nose up and takes to the skies.