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Who Has This Tail? (2012)

by Laura Hulbert(Favorite Author)

3.77 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0805094296 (ISBN13: 9780805094299)

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

publisher

Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

review 1: Booklist (October 15, 2012 (Online))Preschool-Grade 2. The creators of Who Has These Feet? (2011) follow up with a similarly engaging, if less successful, guessing game. The format is the same, with a close-up tail paired to the titular question in very large type, followed by a spread with views of the whole animal in a natural setting and a one-sentence description of the tail’s basic function. Most of the tails are easily recognizable, but some—spider monkey, gerbil, arctic fox—are more generic, and the impersonal pronoun used throughout the patterned text doesn’t really fit the line: “A peacock uses its tail to attract a mate.” Still, the painted art is clean of line and accurate in detail, the predictable design invites audience participation, and the doub... morele gatefold at the end serves double-duty as both a cap to the presentation and a recap gallery of the animals.Horn Book (Spring 2013)A close-up illustration of an animal's tail is depicted along with the titular question; on the following page, the animal to which it belongs is revealed along with one fact about how the tail is used. The final spread's gatefolds add nothing of value, but the text and art are clear and simple and will work well for preschooler storytimes. Kirkus Reviews (September 1, 2012)Hulbert and Brooks' second pairing (Who Has These Feet?, 2011) sets readers to identifying animals by their tails and learning how those tails help them adapt. The titular question is paired with a two-page close-up of an animal tail. The page turn reveals the entire animal in its habitat, the two-sentence text naming the animal and telling how it uses its tail: "A horse has this tail. A horse uses its tail to flick away flies." But the horse is the most common of the animals presented. The rest will be a challenge, perhaps even for parents, whose toddlers may not be familiar with the physical characteristics of a beaver, a spider monkey, a rattlesnake, a scorpion, a gerbil, a shark, an Artic fox or a peacock. Making it even more challenging is the fact that the tails are shown in isolation against a white background, with nothing to give kids a clue as to size, perspective or habitat. While the final gatefold is rather uninspiring--just a larger, collagelike picture of all the animals that have been seen previously--the flaps of the gatefold are a checkerboard of animal heads and tails against brightly colored backgrounds, allowing for a great matching game. Brooks' watercolor animals are realistic without being frightening, the colors nicely echoing those found in their habitats. A great challenge for kids who have already mastered the basic pets and farm animals. (Informational picture book. 3-7)Library Media Connection (May/June 2013)This short, informative book invites the reader to guess the animal owners of nine tails. The question, "Who has this tail?" is asked on one page with the opposite page showing a tail on a white background. When you turn the page, you see the entire animal in its natural habitat. Brief text tells the name of the animal and how it uses its tail. The flaps of the gatefold at the end of the book can be used as a matching game. The watercolor pictures enhance the text. This would be an excellent read-aloud. Sharon Harruff, Substitute Elementary Teacher, Southeastern School Corp., Walton, Indiana. RECOMMENDEDSchool Library Journal (January 1, 2013)PreS-Gr 2-Expanding on the concept presented in Who Has These Feet? (Holt, 2011), this anatomical guessing game, illustrated in soft watercolors, allows readers to try to connect a tail to the correct animal. With a large font and generous white space, the opening spread for each animal asks, "Who has this tail?" while a large, detailed illustration shows only the tail in question. A page turn reveals the answer and a full-bleed spread of the animal in its habitat along with a fact about how it uses its tail. Various animals are featured, including a rattlesnake, a beaver, a spider monkey, and a horse, but all are a challenge to guess out of context on the white backgrounds. The concise information does a nice job of demonstrating the many different functions a tail can serve-a gerbil uses it for balance, while an Arctic fox uses it to stay warm. The book closes with a summarizing gatefold matching all the animals with their tails.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
review 2: On each page is the title question in large print with a close-up of a tail. Next is a two page spread showing the animal in its natural habitat with an explanation of which animal it is and what it uses its tail for. My PreK and Kinder students love books like this. As a read aloud it will generate lots of conversation about other animal tails and their uses. At the end is a double gate-fold in a checkerboard pattern. This could be used for a matching game after the story. Not a have to have book, but if you need one on animal tails at a low level - I like this one. less

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