The Pheasant’s Tale… Or was it its Tail? by Candace Amarante
My review: ★★★★
This is a playful fable about a pheasant that wishes it had the tail of a peacock, because it believes beautiful birds won’t be eaten. However the peacock is trying to convince the pheasant that having a peacock tail isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And the butterflies try to convince the pheasant that being beautiful doesn’t keep one from being eaten. Nevertheless, the pheasant persists in its quest, and ultimately gets what it wants … of a sort.
The artwork is as playful as the story. The pheasant even proclaims that the book isn’t a fable, at one point (hee hee). The book has some fairly advanced vocabulary, which is good; we don’t need to talk down to children, just explain to them what it means. Overall a cute and fun story. This is probably best for children 4-8 years old.
