Stone Fox

Stone Fox is a children's novella by John Reynolds Gardiner. It is the first and best known of Gardiner's books. Stone Fox was acclaimed and very popular when it was published in 1980.[1] It sold three million copies and was turned into a television movie starring Buddy Ebsen, Joey Cramer, and Gordon Tootoosis and directed by Harvey Hart in 1987.[2] It was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year for 1980 (Nov. 30, 1980. p. BR4), and was included in 100 Best Books for Children by Anita Silvey.[3]

Stone Fox
First edition
AuthorJohn Reynolds Gardiner
IllustratorMarcia Sewall
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's novellas
Published1980 Harper & Row
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Pages96
ISBN0-06-440132-4
OCLC9333615
Fic
LC ClassMICS 2006/42188 (P)

The book centers on a boy named Willy who enters a dog sled race in order to win $500 to pay back the taxes on his grandfather's farm. It is written in simple prose and is set at an indeterminate time in the American Old West. The book was inspired by a Rocky Mountain legend that Gardiner heard when he visited Idaho.[1] Stone Fox was originally intended as a screenplay but became a book at the suggestion of a producer.[2]

Synopsis

Plot

Ten-year-old Willy lives in Jackson, Wyoming in the 1880s on a potato farm with his grandfather and his dog Searchlight. During a harsh winter, his grandfather falls ill and after an audit of the potato farm, the tax collector determines that he owes $500 in unpaid taxes. Willy is convinced that he and Searchlight can beat the other racers entering the National Dogsled Race (held each year in Jackson), and in doing so win the $500 prize money that is required to save the farm. He will be competing against Stone Fox, an undefeated racer who uses his winnings to buy land for his Native American tribe. Stone Fox is also rabidly anti-settler with the resentment of the loss of tribal property, and has never been known to speak a word to a white person. As the race ends, Willy is in the lead but Searchlight's heart explodes from constant pressure before they reach the finish line. Seeing Willy crying over his loss, Stone Fox draws a line in the snow and unholsters his pistol to stop the other racers, then speaks his first words to the whites; "Anyone crosses this line-I shoot". Stone Fox then permits Willy to carry Searchlight across the finish line, having learned the possibility of peaceful coexistence between a native American and white man.

Characters
  • Little Willy - the protagonist of the book, he lives with his grandfather in a potato farm in Jackson, Wyoming.
  • Searchlight - Willy's loyal black dog who faithfully helps Willy in the race until her heart explodes.
  • Grandfather - Willy's grandfather, who is bedridden during much of the story.
  • Doc Smith - the town's only doctor and a close friend to Willy and Grandfather.
  • Stone Fox - a Native American resentful of white seizure of his people's land. He never speaks to whites and has never lost a race, using the prize money towards buying their farmland back.
  • Mr. Clifford Snyder - the local tax collector.
  • Mr. Foster - the bank president who helps Willy with the paper work.
  • Lester - a kind store clerk who runs Lester's general store.
  • Dusty the Drunk - the town drunkard who tells Willy of Stone Fox.

Film

Stone Fox is a 1987 television film adaptation of the book. The film premiered on March 30, 1987 on NBC and stars Buddy Ebsen (as Grandpa), Joey Cramer (as Willy), Gordon Tootoosis (as Stone Fox), and Belinda Montgomery (as Doc Smith).[4] The film was produced by Allarcom Limited and Taft Broadcasting in association with Hanna-Barbera, and was directed by Harvey Hart.[5]

The plot in the movie is slightly different from the book. Rather than losing the desire to live, Grandpa suffers a stroke, and Willy has to win the race to save his Grandpa's cattle ranch. Stone Fox also leaves Willy a puppy after the death of Searchlight, who is named "Morgan" in the film. The movie was filmed at Fort Edmonton Park, Fox Drive and Whitemud Drive in Alberta, Canada.

References
  1. Silvey, Anita, 2002, The Essential Guide to Children's Books and Their Creators, Houghton Mifflin Books, ISBN 0-618-19082-1.
  2. John R. Gardiner, kids’ author, dies at 61, MSNBC.
  3. Silvey, Anita, 2004, 100 Best Books for Children, Houghton Mifflin Books, ISBN 0-618-27889-3.
  4. O'Connor, John J. (March 30, 1987). "Buddy Ebsen And Joey Cramer Star In 'Stone Fox'". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  5. Sennett, Ted (1989). The Art of Hanna-Barbera: Fifty Years of Creativity. Studio. p. 260. ISBN 978-0670829781. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
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