A Tale of Two Beasts

by Fiona Roberton, Fiona Roberton (Illustrator)

Overview

When a little girl rescues a strange beast from the woods, she takes him home. But for some reason, the little beast is not happy! There are two sides to every story, and this funny and charming tale is no exception.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781610673617
Publisher:	Kane/Miller Book Publishers
Publication date:	01/01/2015
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.40(w) x 10.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

Editorial Reviews

03/02/2015
Roberton (Cuckoo!) spins a clever he-said/she-said story about a girl's rescue of a squirrel-like creature in the woods. At least, that's how she sees it. After she describes her oh-so-thoughtful adoption of the animal ("I wrapped him warmly up in my scarf, and carried him safely home”), the story restarts, now told from the animal's point of view ("I was ambushed by a terrible beast!” he cries. "She growled at me, and tied me up, and carried me off to her secret lair”). By flipping between the stories, readers can spot subtle but telling differences in the ways Roberton frames her tidily illustrated scenes. In the first account, when the girl makes a cardboard box home for the animal, the bird's-eye view includes the art supplies the girl has used to decorate it and the animal-care books she's been studying. In the second go-around, a ground-level view puts readers inside the box, making it feel like a claustrophobic jail (albeit one with adorable hand-drawn décor). It's a smart and not-too-serious introduction to the idea of empathy—and boundaries. Ages 5–9. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Roberton's premise is as sublime as it is simple, with a subtle message. Brilliantly, the illustrations vary just slightly from one version of the story to the next; it's their juxtaposition with the radically different textual perspective that generates the laughs. Totally delightful." — Kirkus Reviews, STARRED


"This funny, thought-provoking British story exquisitely demonstrates the importance of understanding multiple perspectives." — School Library Journal, "Outstanding International Books: Presenting the 2016 USSBY Selections"


"It's a smart and not-too-serious introduction to the idea of empathy-and boundaries." — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

★ 2015-01-10
What really happened in the woods? Roberton tells her story in two parts. Part 1: A little girl, in a jaunty red beret and matching sweater, is walking home from Grandma's house when she spots a strange little creature hanging upside down from a tree branch. (It's a furry critter with a striped tail. A raccoon? A ring-tailed lemur?) She wraps him in a green scarf, names him Fang and takes him home. Though she gives him a bath, a cute outfit like hers, a bowl of nuts and a little house made from a cardboard box, he doesn't look very happy. When she opens a window to get some cool air, her strange creature rips off his new clothes and runs to freedom in the dark woods. But late one night, he appears in her bedroom window, and they frolic in the woods. Part 2 of the book tells the scary story of an innocent little critter who's minding his own business when he's ambushed by a "terrible beast"—a little girl in a jaunty red beret and matching sweater. And readers know the rest. Roberton's premise is as sublime as it is simple, with a subtle message. Brilliantly, the illustrations vary just slightly from one version of the story to the next; it's their juxtaposition with the radically different textual perspective that generates the laughs. Totally delightful. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews