"The Fox and the Child" tells the story of a nature-loving 10-year-old girl (Bertille Noel-Bruneau), who, over the course of nearly a year, wins the confidence of Lily, a young vixen, in the Massif Central, an area of south-central France that consists of mountains and plateaus.

The charming bedtime tale combines sentimental drama and documentary footage as the child's instinct to domesticate other forest animals, such as deer, bears, snakes, owls and badgers, grows alongside her "friendship" with Lily throughout the seasons.

Directed by Luc Jacquet, who scored a hit with 2005's "March of the Penguins," a breathtaking documentary about Antarctica's emperor penguins, "The Fox and the Child" is picture-postcard pretty due to the beautiful French countryside.

The sylvan landscape is indeed amazing, but you eventually wonder why the main character sees nobody and is allowed to roam alone all day. Nonetheless, "The Fox and the Child" is sweetly narrated as a childhood memoir by Kate Winslet, and the movie is lovely to watch, especially with very young children, who are likely to find the story more engaging since it features very little dialogue.

confidence (n.) 信心;信赖vixen (n.) 雌狐to consist of 由…组成;以…构成sentimental (adj.) 感人肺腑的;多愁善感的to domesticate (v.) 驯服;驯化breathtaking (adj.) 令人叹為观止的;令人兴奋的due to 由於;因為sylvan (adj.) 森林(中)的;树木的main character 主角to narrate (v.) 讲(故事);叙述