Hail the Tail

From extra limb to fan sublime, salute the tail in bouncy rhyme! Though admitting that tails are “often the ‘butt’ of jokes,” Bower counters such dismissive sentiments with a mind-changing tally of animal appendages, from the glorious feathered displays of turkeys and peacocks to the eloquently expressive posteriors of playful puppies and startled skunks. The uses to which tails are put are as diverse as their shapes. “Balance, courtship, pest control. / Each tail has a different role.” Chavarri’s bright, animated animal portraits amply demonstrate the point—here with a crocodile balancing on its thick tail to lunge out of the water at a passing bird, there with furry tails keeping the noses of a curled-up fox and snow leopard warm. Both beavers and a whale slap water to send messages, while a baby elephant grasps a maternal tail with its trunk, and spiky tails trail protectively behind stingrays and a porcupine. “Tails are short and tails are long. / Tails can sing a love-filled song.” . . . . A true tail-wagger for young animal lovers. -- Kirkus Reviews * November 2026 *