Joan Waites

A fox watches in delight as the seasons turn, noting the wonderful colors that erupt in spring, summer and fall. Fox wishes that he could take the colors with him into winter. Fox tries his hardest to collect the colors in vibrant artwork using what nature has to offer, flower petals, stones and leaves. However, none of his artwork is permanent. Then, fox happens upon Claude Monet who is using something different to capture a scene in nature. Could this be the answer to fox's dilemma?

Sweet, whimsical and full of bold and striking colors, A Colorful Tail captures children's interest with a charismatic fox and a unique problem. I love that the story introduces children to a variety of colors outside of the seven colors of the rainbow within the text as well as the striking and playful illustrations. The story also focuses on problem solving and not giving up after the first attempt. In addition, children are introduced to Claude Monet in a fun way.… (mehr)

I was never a Monet fan until I saw the real thing at MOMA. I had no idea how large and how beautiful his water lilies were, until that moment in time. This book follows a little fox who hangs out in Monet’s garden and wonders how he can keep the colors of summer all season long. After spying the artist at work, the fox takes up painting. The story is nice and a tale, not a history. The art work is okay, part of me wishes the fox was walking in Monet’s work, or that information on the artist Monet and a sample of his work was included. Because otherwise, why mention Monet at all. Why can it not be some random artist. A nice book, but I don’t think it will be a buzzed about book.… (mehr)