Poulette the dancing hen falls into the clutches of a hungry fox, who exploits her desire to become a great ballerina.

Fox is calm and thoughtful. Chick is hyperactive and flighty. They don't always agree, but they are friends anyway.

As a boy adjusts to his family's new home in the forest, he learns to observe and appreciate the forest animals, especially a fox with whom he strikes up a friendship--until a wildfire forces both of them to flee for their lives. Includes a note about forest fires and their role in forest ecology.