The Visit - Núria Figueras - ★★.¾

AUTHOR: Núria Figueras

ILLUSTRATOR: Anna Font

TRANSLATOR: Lawrence Schimel

GENRE: Children's Picture Book

PUBLICATION DATE: April 14, 2026

RATING: 2.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: A picture book about a very special visit. I am so torn about my feelings for this! I loved certain things but I hated certain other things. 😬 The illustrations are cute but the story can go either way. I do love the allegory, though it might be a bit too complex for kids to understand. Better with adult discussion.

Plot Preview:

Just before Mother Fox leaves her den, she warns Little Fox not to open the door to anyone. Just as Little Fox prepares herself to spend some hours alone, she hears a knock at the door. After some deliberation and questioning, Little Fox is curious and opens the door to the big and strange being who calls itself “Silence”. The initial interaction is hesitant, but Little Fox soon realises that Silence can be her friend.

This book was originally published in Catalan as ‘La visita’ in 2023. This English translation is to be published in April 2026. The original edition of this book was the winner of the XVI International Compostela Prize for Picture Books.

I remember when my parents left me home alone for the first time when I was in the 4th grade. I didn’t last even ten minutes before I psyched myself out and yelled through the window at my neighbour aunty to open the door for me with the spare keys. I spent the rest of the morning at her house playing with her kids, and on my parents’ return, shamefacedly listened to my mom’s lecture on how I myself had insisted that I could handle being alone. Oh, well! Some lessons are learnt the hard way! 😏

When I read the blurb of this book, I thought Little Fox too would be frightened of being alone. But she turned out to be braver than I was. It’s great to see her maintain her composure in face of the looming stranger, to understand how she can make Silence her friend and to indulge in some mutually pleasing activities.

Of course, this story isn't to be taken literally. It is a brilliant allegory on how Silence walks in when we are alone and amplifies our negative emotions such as loneliness, fear, and uncertainty. It also highlights how we can turn silence into a calming and comforting experience. However, kids don’t understand allegory easily. When they see the text and the illustrations, most will take the tale literally. It is up to that increasingly rare species of wise adults to explain the underlying purpose of this allegorical narrative.

Why am I then torn about my feelings? Just one gigantic reason: Little Fox opens her door to a stranger though she is alone at home and despite her mother’s explicit warning against it. This is a huge red flag against the story. We aren’t in an era when kids are safe from strangers, so this scene needs to come with a big discussion on safety and correct choices. I don’t even know why this was the way Silence was introduced into the narrative. The workaround was so simple: Silence could simply have been hiding in one corner of the fox den, and after Mother Fox left, it could have creeped out of the corner, thereby worrying Little Fox. That’s it! No complications about opening doors to strangers or not listening to parents’ instructions!

The story is written in simple prose, with about 5-6 lines per page on an average. The language is simple to understand. There are many back-and-forth dialogues between Little Fox and Silence, so the story can be an entertaining read-aloud option. It’s a bit funny how Silence cannot be around any sound in the story but it itself can speak without self-destructing – let’s hope no child overthinks picture books so much. 🤭

The illustrations are sublime! I loved the portrayal of Little Fox’s interactions with Silence. The graphical depiction of Silence as an actual being is quite basic, but that clever decision allows for a lot of fluidity in its representation.

Overall, the story isn't exactly what I thought it would be. It does a good job as an allegory. I just wish the stranger-danger angle had been explored in a better way, either through the story or in the backmatter.

Recommended, but only to be read under adult guidance. The official target age is 5-6 years.

My thanks to Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company and Eerdmans Books for Young Readers for providing the DRC of “The Visit” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.