A Cautionary Tail (Erica Harrison, illus by Simon Rippingale, Viking)

In A Cautionary Tail we follow the life of a little girl who is born with a special difference—she has a tail. Initially, her tail is seen as a positive thing. However, once she reaches school this little difference starts to make her life difficult: ‘And so it was she grew to hate that part she used to celebrate.’ The girl goes to great lengths to remove her tail, only to find that this does not solve her problems and in fact makes things worse. A Cautionary Tail is illustrated with images from an animated short film starring Cate Blanchett, Barry Otto and David Wenham, which premiered at the Flickerfest short film festival (www.acautionarytail.com). This is a dark, quirky and endearing tale, which should attract a cult following. Beautiful and evocative images are paired seamlessly with rhyming verse. It is recommended for readers aged eight and up.

Natalie Crawford is a freelance reviewer and works at Dymocks Claremont

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews