Publishing on World Book Day, the next adventure in the Gaspard the Fox series continues the story of London’s handsomest fox, with a musical twist
In this thrilling third adventure from Zeb Soanes and award-winning illustrator James Mayhew, Gaspard’s friend Finty the dog and her owner Honey are off to a classical concert in London’s Hyde Park. Whilst attempting to return Honey’s scarf, the handsomest fox in London suddenly finds himself on a tour through the city aboard the Number 38 bus, passing famous landmarks, including Museum Street, Chinatown, the theatres of the West End before arriving at Hyde Park for the Proms in the Park. Here he finds himself being thrust centre stage and becomes a musical inspiration when a familiar face steps out to lead the orchestra.

Completed with a set of facts about the landmarks Gaspard sees on his journey on the No.38 Red Bus and an illustrated map of the route, Gaspard’s Foxtrot is the perfect introduction to some of the delights and history of London and is sure to spark an interest in classical music. Combined with themes of helping others and the value of friendship, the book is a wonderfully entertaining and educational addition to story time, whether in the classroom or at home.

Gaspard’s Foxtrot has already received great endorsements from a variety of famous names, including Marin Alsop who says, ‘this is a lovely story, beautifully illustrated and speaks to the hearts of all children, young and old.’ Dame Patricia Routledge calls it ‘another wonderful tale of the exciting
adventures of Gaspard, our urban fox friend, beautifully told and illustrated’, while Philip Ardagh, Roald Dahl Funny Prize-winning author, says, ‘the wonderful thing about Gaspard the Fox is that it’s hard to imagine a time when he was never there. He has the look and sound – in the words and pictures on the page and the music of the orchestra – of a classic. Three cheers for Gaspard!’

Gaspard’s Foxtrot has also been adapted by the composer Jonathan Dove CBE, inspired by Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. A great way of introducing classical music to children, the concert performance will feature live illustration by James Mayhew, narration by Zeb Soanes and will be played by a range of professional orchestras across the UK during 2021, including the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Docklands Sinfonia, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, subject to government restrictions.

Zeb Soanes comments about the project, saying, ‘The exciting thing about Gaspard’s Foxtrot was that it was conceived to be both a book and a concert, rather than the score being an afterthought to an existing story – so the challenge for me was to write in a way that inspired both James Mayhew’s illustrations and Jonathan Dove’s music. This is very much a musical adventure through the city and Jonathan has created a remarkable tapestry of sound from the buzzing of bees and the roar of traffic
to scurrying tube mice and polka-dancing pigeons – and through it all Gaspard’s gentle curiosity at the fascinating sights he encounters.’