Cover Image: Tell Tail

Tell Tail

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This is a great book about self-expression and being yourself. I like that the characters are dogs, too.

Was this review helpful?

I love this story about being different and how hard that is even within your own family. Especially within your own family. While the dad was perhaps the biggest bully in the book and I wasn’t a fan of his, it’s also an unfortunate truth that this is a fact of life for many kids. I hope parents who are too harsh on their own kids read it and see themselves there.

Was this review helpful?

Cute idea, but the story didn't quite pull the children in and hold their attention as much as it could have.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the published for the advance copy.

Was this review helpful?

This was an adorable picture book! It follows a dog named Dex whose tail wags like crazy when he's happy. It embarrasses his family, so he decides to hide it until he meets a new friend. I liked the art style and coloring in the book, and the ending was very satisfying. I would have liked to see more communication in the book, like a short explanation of Dex's depressive episode or an apology from Dex's family, but overall it had a good ending and I would recommend it for children who love and have dogs!

Was this review helpful?

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't get this story, why wouldn't the dad want Dex to wag his tail? So if the characters were all people, would it be, the dad forbids the son from showing emotions? I wish his dad apologized to him in the end.

Dex is so lovable, enthusiastic and eager to please, and his whole family doesn't approve of how he wags his tail.

Was this review helpful?

Dex is a sweet little puppy with an extremely happy tail. It seems uncontrollable and seems to have a mind of its own. His family is embarrassed of its exuberant wagging and Dex keeps getting reprimanded and told to get it under control. Poor Dex feels self-conscious and humiliated and he tries very hard to obey.

One day a big red dog named Bailey, with a fabulous extraordinary tail, approaches Dex and asks him, "Do you like playing?" Bailey bounces up and down with excitement and wags his magnificent, fluffy, plumy tail vigorously and guess whose tail joins in?

Together the two romp and play and have a blast all the while wagging their tails. Dex's dad intervenes and he is not amused causing Dex to take off and run away as fast as he can. Poor Dex will he every be accepted for the unique little guy that he is?

The illustrations are brilliant. They are full of expression and heart. The book does a masterful job of getting to the core of how Dex feels when he was not accepted by his own family and how he tries to change himself to fit in. The life lesson to take away is no matter who you are the best possible thing that you can be is .... yourself! I highly recommend this book.

Was this review helpful?

This book tells the story of Dex, and his wild tail that would wag uncontrollably most of the time. His family was embarrassed of Dex's wild tail, and told him to control it better. This made Dex self-conscious, and made him want to change a part of him. He felt different in his own family, and went to great lengths to change who he was to fit in with his family.

This book really gets at the heart of being different, and how hard it is when even your own family does not accept you for who you are. Dex went through a period of trying to change himself and his own personality to fit in with the expectations of his parents. This book teaches children that no matter who they are and what they do, they should always be themselves.

The message of this book is excellent, and the concept of using dogs to teach children this lesson is genius. Most kids will connect with these characters, and be more easily able to take home the book's message.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?

I am so in love with the art in this book! It reminds me a lot of A Ball for Daisy. My very favorite was the picture of the dogs in the duck pond with their butts up in the air, It got a giggle from my son, too! I think this book is a great starting point to talk to kids about balancing self-control with being their happy selves!

Was this review helpful?

This book was much deeper than I expected! Poor Dex was shamed by his family for being himself and made to feel like he was doing something wrong. I liked that the angry, tough dad was the one to realize Dex wasn’t being himself and set out to help him. Even better, I loved that his dad accepted him for being himself by the end. A nice story with cute illustrations.

Was this review helpful?

Tell Tail is a story about a puppy named Dex with a lot of tail wagging energy who shows his happiness by wagging his tail. When asked to stop, he becomes much more solemn. I saw a lot of parallels between Dex and my students with ADHD and ASD who have trouble controlling their movement. I do feel that the moral of the story gets lost in much of the details and tries to be a bit too broad. I like that Dex's father accepts him in the end, but I felt there were some important details missing.

Was this review helpful?