An idea of Lies' for more than ten years, when it was published it was well received and was named a 2019 Caldecott Honor book.

Author and illustrator Brian Lies developed the concept in his sketchbook for more than a decade before he decided to turn it into a book.

[1] His breakthrough came when he decided that, "Rather than full bleeds throughout, there would be a number of vignettes and pages in which Evan would appear on a stark, white background.

[4] Evan's emotional state is conveyed not only through the text but through the illustrations which provide visual reputations both over and subtle displaying the fox's grief.

[2] The book was well reviewed, receiving starred reviews from Booklist,[4] Publishers Weekly, which suggested that, "some sensitive readers may draw back from tragedy this stark, but others will be fascinated by Evan’s mysterious world"[5] and School Library Journal, with librarian Rachel Zuffa praising, "this poignant picture book provides an exquisite depiction of grief and hope.

[11] Knowing that any call to tell him he'd won would come in early in the morning, he went to the gym mid-morning, leaving his phone in the car.

[11] Lies was moved by the Caldecott recognition, "receiving this honor is deeply affecting... It’s a validation of the long years I’ve been trying to learn how to tell stories in pictures.