Following the success of her debut picture book Red Fox Does What? Surely Not!, Littlehampton-based author and illustrator Christine Chambers returns with a charming and imaginative new release, Arctic Fox Opens A Magical Ice Cream Shop – a whimsical continuation of her expanding world of fox characters, shaped by reader curiosity and her own creative vision.
Originally intended as a one-off story, Red Fox quickly captured readers’ imaginations, with many asking what the other fox characters might be doing next.
“At every author visit, I was always being asked about Red Fox’s friends,” Christine explains. “So I started to think about their lives and created a world that they could have fun in.”
With her books, Christine is also on a quiet mission to change perceptions. “Foxes get a lot of bad press,” she says, “and I wanted to create a positive story about them.” With so many different types of foxes to choose from, her stories have grown into a wider world filled entirely with these often-overlooked animals, each with their own personality and story to tell.
While her first book focused on perseverance and friendship, Christine made a conscious decision to take a lighter, more magical approach with her new release. “Some parents told me their children didn’t enjoy stories with too much peril or sadness,” she says. “So I wanted Arctic Fox to be a more fun, fanciful tale.”
Inspired by the kinds of stories she loved as a child, Arctic Fox Opens A Magical Ice Cream Shop is filled with imagination, warmth and joy. “What could be better, when you’re little, than ice cream, magic and friendship?” she adds.
Christine’s creative journey began in childhood, where she spent hours drawing and crafting small animals using felt. That creativity continues today – not only in her writing and illustration, but also in her handmade crochet foxes, inspired by the very characters in her books.
Her first spark of inspiration for Red Fox came from one of these crochet creations, showing how her different creative passions continue to influence one another.
Christine recently featured in Sussex Life for International Women’s Day, highlighting her journey as a creative and independent author.
Shaun Russell, Head of Publishing at Candy Jar Books, says: “Christine has a wonderful ability to create warm, engaging worlds that children instantly connect with. With Arctic Fox Opens A Magical Ice Cream Shop, she has taken everything readers loved about Red Fox and expanded it into something even more imaginative and joyful. It’s a delightful, magical story full of heart.”
With Arctic Fox Opens A Magical Ice Cream Shop, Christine continues to build a warm, imaginative world designed to spark joy in young readers – offering an uplifting escape into a place where friendship, creativity and kindness take centre stage.
Christine’s books are available at all good bookshops across the UK, thanks to the Books Council of Wales.
