Bullied at school, nagged at home, there's only one place Billy feels really alive and happy--in the wilderness by the canal.

There he watches over a family of fox cubs as they grow toward maturity.

Then his secret is discovered, and the fox family is decimated.

Unwanted, unloved, Billy and the one surviving fox cub run for their lives.

Michael Morpurgo's compassionate story finds hope--and finally happiness--in the life of a vulnerable child, with beautifully detailed observations of wildlife.