A Tiger Tail

May 9, 2016
No kid wants to stand out for the wrong reasons on the first day of school. For Anya, that anxiety takes on a Kafka-lite physical manifestation: she wakes up on the big day and discovers that she has grown an actual tiger’s tail. Her parents are no help (“I felt the same way when I got glasses,” says Dad, cluelessly. “Don’t fret. You’re exactly the same Anya you’ve always been”), and her own efforts to detach the tail come to naught. “Anya was doomed,” writes Boldt (Loud Lula). Then she makes a new friend who has rabbit ears, and Anya (and readers) get the message that difference comes in all shapes, sizes, and stripes. Boldt has a fine idea and the pictures to match: his digitally rendered images have a painterly, acrylic texture and sculptural exaggeration that dovetail well with the humorously over-the top situation. Ages 4–8. Agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary.

June 1, 2016
Anya doesn't seem at all worried that it's the start of a new school year, but the tiger tail she's sprouted overnight is a huge cause for concern.Her mom and dad just don't understand her anxiety about it. Mom says "It brings out your fun, wild side," and dad compares it to when he first got glasses. Obviously, she'll have to find her own solution. But the tail will not come off and can't be hidden. Her mother's comments only serve to give Anya more ideas, but mom doesn't buy that she's sick, and dad sees missing the bus as a bonding opportunity. Just as she's imagining a circus career, a boy with his nose stuck in a book bumps into her; this dislodges his baseball cap, which is hiding a pair of rabbit ears. And the class picture on the final spread reveals that a tiger tail isn't so bad. In Boldt's digital illustrations, Anya appears to be white and has a mane of reddish curls (the tail really does complement them nicely) that perfectly matches her freaked-out demeanor, and her facial expressions are masterful. Her classmates are diverse in every way and include a girl in a wheelchair, a kid wearing headphones, a boy sporting glasses, and a male teacher of color.Anya isn't the only kid who worries about being different on the first day; no matter how unique, though, readers are sure to find a niche to call their own. (Picture book. 4-8)

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July 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 2-In this colorful picture book, Anya wakes up for her first day of first grade "only to discover that overnight she had grown a tiger tail." She imagines all the possible disasters that could ensue once she gets to school, although her parents reassure her that the tail suits her and that it is perfectly normal to be nervous about a change in one's appearance. However, after her every attempt to miss school is thwarted, Anya meets bunny-eared Ben on her way in and finds that the tail isn't such a big deal. After all, it does go well with her wild hair, she reflects. The digital cartoon artwork is appropriately silly and exaggerated without being over-the-top. Although it is easy to imagine this work entertaining readers, it is harder to imagine it resonating with them, despite its near-universal theme. Any connection between the tail and real-world counterparts is tenuous at best, and the origin of the tail is never explained. VERDICT With so many other engaging back-to-school books available, this one merits no more than a passing glance. An additional purchase, at best.-Anna Stover, Poughkeepsie Day School, NY

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