Tom's Tail - Softcover

Linda Jennings has compiled and selected stories for Kingfisher, such as "'The Kingfisher Treasury of Stories from Around the World"' and "'The Treasury of Pony Stories"'.

Tim Warnes' other books include "'Little Tiger's Big Surprise!"' and "'I Don't Want to Take a Bath!"', both written by Julie Sykes, and "'Davy's Scary Journey"', by Christine Leeson. He lives in England with his wife, illustrator Jane Chapman.

PreSchool-Grade 2?Children who have wished for something they cannot have will sympathize with Tom the piglet, who longs for a straight tail. The other animals, exasperated by his complaints, make several attempts to help him uncurl it, but nothing works until Geraldine the Jersey cow suggests they stretch it out and submerge it in the mud. The mud dries, and lo, Tom has the tail of his dreams. But its sharp point pokes his brothers and sisters and makes life so impossible that he is turned out of the sty and forced to remain alone?until a driving rain washes off the mud and restores his tail to its original shape. Warnes's cartoon illustrations, done on textured paper, are large with white borders and alive with the bright colors of springtime. Text and pictures work in perfect harmony. As an added bonus, a small blue butterfly flits from scene to scene among the comic animals, ready to be spotted by observant readers. And the ironic twist on the last page will help them feel much wiser than a piglet who just doesn't seem to learn his lesson. A perfect read-aloud, this is one barnyard youngsters will want to visit often.?Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community-Technical College, CT
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