What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?

This book is breathtaking, a real stand-out visually -- and at the same time grippingly educational and fun for kids. If you want to see that dawning light of curiousity and hunger for understanding in a child that's just learning that it's fun to learn, there's no better book than this one.The animals are rendered with great richness and depth by (if you look closely) beautiful torn-paper collages. It's so skillfully done by Steve Jenkins that all of the creatures are full of personality, and seem to live in a batik-cartoon world.The riveting part is how there are so many animals that each have unusual stories revealed through fun and different and interesting body parts. This is not a "first animals" book at all. Rather it gains its fascination by showing how animals make so many different uses of their body parts, uses that go against what you first think.For instance: A platypus uses its nose "to dig in the mud." But "[i]f you're an elephant, you use your nose to give yourself a bath" [image of trunk squirting water back over elephant's head]. For ears, you learn that a jackrabbit uses its ears to keep cool, and crickets have ears on their knees. A chimpanzee can eat with its feet, and a gecko's feet are sticky so it can walk on the ceiling. And so on.Engrossing and whimsical from page to page again and again. Just wonderful!At the end of the book, a section includes a one-paragraph "bio" with additional details about each animal, with the rest of the story on the unique appendage. For example, the chimpanzee has some general description, and also this detail about how they eat with their feet: "Like people, they have an opposable thumb. Unlike us, thy also have an opposable big toe. This allows them to pick up and manipulate things with their feet." This description is obviously way more advanced than the book itself -- but children love to hear more of the story about characters or animals from the adult reading to them, and this book gives you (the adult) the back story for every one of them.I was floored when What Do You Do with a Tail Like This arrived. Giggly and awed at the same time. The reviews didn't prepare me for how much I'd viscerally like this book the moment I opened it! I cannot recommend this highly enough!

I was looking for some new books to have when my grandson visits. He's the oldest, so I advance the level of my home library to meet his needs and fill in for the others if I need to. I happened across this book and, as is my habit, looked at the reviews. Most were 5-star, but I also look at the other reviews to see how they determined their rating. I decided to take my chances. This is a very nice book. My grandson's favorite books usually involve animals. When he was little, it was picture books about animals. This book looks like it will grow with him. It talks about the various parts of different animals and how they are used. He is very curious about what different animals do. so this should keep him interested. In the back of the book, there is a paragraph about each animal mentioned in the body of the book. I think this will interest him when he is older, more than now. My favorite books for children are books that are enjoyable for the adult to read as well as one that initiates a discussion. I think this book will do both of those.

Ive read this book to my pre k class about 20 times now. Each time they get just as excited as they did the first time! This is an amazing book! So interactive and fun!

Read this to a group of kindergartners. They loved trying to guess what animal each was and then try to figure out what they did with their nose/mouth/tail etc. Later in the week many of them would take the book and pretend to read from it recalling the animal facts. They were so amazed by many aspects. Great for helping look at how animals might use their senses differently from us.

Fun and beautiful book! Such a great tool to engage with a youth.

Students loved guessing about each tail on the first read, and then shouting out info they remembered from each tail on re-reads. (yes, I asked for shout outs). Great book for quiet story time, or interactive listening.

Book came in very good condition as advertised. Pleased with this purchase.

Even if this book had only average illustrations, I would consider it a worthy book. I love how it teaches about animals in a way children can enjoy, appreciate, and interact with. Simple but powerful...and very fun.But the fact is that the illustrations are incredible! It looks like the images are made entirely out of paper and fabric, which creates an alluring abstract (and intriguing) aesthetic much like Eric Carle's awesome illustrations.I had my doubts before I purchased this book, but when I saw it I was so glad I did.

Lovely book. My kids really enjoyed it. Definitely recommended for adding to kids book collections

I'm sorry but the lizard with blood coming out of it's eyes is a bit too much for me. My 3 year old doesn't seem bothered though.

Super book, good to provoke questions and research with Year 1+ (5-6years) for thematic work.

my niece of 3 loves this book

Kids in my class loved this book