Not wishing to share his fish with Bear, Fox slyly directs him how to catch his own, not realizing the extraordinary event that would result.

Fish-loving Fox, having spent his day catching his favorite food, is unwilling to share his bounty with his neighbor, Bear, and refuses to leave the warmth and comfort of his home. Thinking to trick his ursine visitor, he tells Bear to stick his tail in the lake, as a surefire means of catching a bumper crop. When Bear does just that, and finds that his tail has frozen into the lake overnight, the bewildered creature ends up lugging the entire body of water (now frozen solid) behind him, creating a stream where none existed before, and, in a turning of the tables on Fox, ending up with plenty of fish after all...

Although not described on the dust-jacket as a traditional folktale, it is clear from the author's brief afterword that Tale of a Tail is a loose retelling of a Hungarian story, related to Judit Z. Bodnar when she was a little girl. This tale type, in which a fox tricks a bear into using his tail as a fishing rod, usually with disastrous consequences for the bear, can be found in many cultures worldwide. There is a fable from Aesop with this theme, and I have seen examples of it from a number of Native American cultures as well. Natalia M. Belting included a Loucheux variant of it in her collection, The Long-Tailed Bear and Other Indian Legends. Bodnar does something a little different with her version, however, turning the tables a bit on her would-be trickster, Fox. Rather than losing his tail, as is so commonly the case in tellings of this story, Bear triumphs, gaining all the fish he can eat, and redirecting the entire course of a watery ecosystem. I appreciated the story here, and I liked the fact that this wasn't presented as a traditional tale, since it really is an adaptation of one. I also really enjoyed the artwork by John Sanford, which I have seen compared to Jan Brett's work. The paintings here, done in oil, are richly detailed and colorful - just lovely! All in all, this is one well worth the reader's time, especially if they enjoy animal stories, tales of tricksters being tricked, or folklore in general. ( )

First impression: the art reminds me of work by Jan Brett. ?áGorgeous.
But definitely not vegetarian or PETA friendly.
Good to read aloud, with a nice subtle rhythm and a a sprinkling of onomatopoeia. ?áFunny, too.
I will look for more by both author and illustrator.

FOX, BEARS, FAIRY TALE-LIKE, FISH, SCHOOL AGE, PRE-K, TRICKSY, EATING, COOKING

Content
• Text font? good
• Words per page? decent number
• Vocab? ordinary
• Dialogue? yes
Illustrations
• Full page? yes
• Color? good, bright
• Fit the story? yes
Book size? large
Work for storytime? no Which ages? 3 and up

Review ** spoiler alert ** A different folk tale re-telling about a bear and a fox. The fox loves fish and the tantalizing aroma from his home draws his friend Bear. Bear tries to coerce Fox into giving him some fish but Fox refuses. However, thinking himself clever, tells Bear to go to the lake, sticks his tail in the water all night, and in the morning, when he wiggles his tail, Bear will catch some fish.

Bear follows the instructions but in the morning, instead of a few fish, he has caught the whole lake which has frozen to his tail. More than a little irritated at this, he begins dragging the lake behind him to confront Fox. However, the lake begins melting as the day progresses. Finally, when the Bear cannot fit himself in the forest with a whole lake attached to his tail, he looks behind and sees the melting lake has created a stream with lots of fish floating in it. Bear eats his full. Then, with a satisfied large and round belly, he walks home sleepy.

If reading about fairy and folk tales, you could include this one but it wouldn't be at the top of my list. I like different folk tales but this one doesn't circle around and closes like I expect it to. I was left wondering, 'What about the fox?' But maybe there is some moral hidden reason why the tale is told this way that I just don't get.

I do like the title and the homophones tale and tail. (fox, bears, fairy tale, fish, school age, preschool)

Review at Amazon from SLJ: http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Tail-Judit-Bodnar/dp/0688121756/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&am... ( )

A fox is greedy and he will not share his fish or his fishing skills with bear. He lies and tells bear a silly way to catch fish by sticking his tail in the cold water and waiting for a fish to bite. The silly bear winds up being the best way to catch fish and the bear is so thankful.

Genre: Fiction
Age(s): 4-8 ( )