How to Save Your Tail: *if you are a rat nabbed by cats who really like stories about magic spoons, wolves with snout-warts, big, hairy chimney trolls . . . and cookies, too. [Hardcover]

Mary Hanson (Author), John Hendrix (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

How does a cookie-baking Rat named Bob save his tail from being gobbled by two hungry cats? By serving them cookies and telling themfantastic fairy tales about his family, of course. There's the story about great-grand uncle Mustard who upgrades his family to a lovely three-bedroom brick house. (All's well until some wolves with snout-warts show up.) And there's the one about how starving Grandma Lois was forced to take a job spinning straw into gold. (Impossible to do . . . until a hairy chimney troll comes along.)With allusions to classic fairy tales, plus a storytelling rat to rival Scheherazade, this book—which also includes black-and-white illustrations, a family tree, and a map of Bob's neighborhood—is sure to hold both cats and kids captive.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2–5—A book-loving, cookie-baking rat gives Scheherazade a run for her money in this whimsical collection. When a book on a bench catches his eye, Bob, the castle rat, becomes distracted and soon finds himself in the clutches of the Queen's cats. As the felines prepare to devour the savory rodent morsel, Bob attempts to postpone his fate by plying them with a batch of his fresh-baked cookies and regaling them with his ancestral tales. All of his stories are parodies of classic fairy tales, such as "The Three Pigs," "Jack and the Beanstalk," and "Rumpelstiltskin." Clever wordplay and large doses of humor make this a most enjoyable selection that has great potential as a read-aloud. The black-and-white cartoon-style illustrations add to the fun and will captivate even the most reluctant of young readers.—Debbie Lewis O'Donnell, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* A rat's twin passions for books and baking bail him out of serious trouble in this decidedly entertaining story. Nabbed by palace cats Brutus and Muffin, Bob the rat saves himself from gruesome extinction first by offering a tray of cookies fresh from the oven, and then by going on to tell a set of fractured tales--one about his great-great-grandfather climbing a beanstalk to fetch a magic cookie-making spoon from a giant puss in boots; another in which his grandma gave Rumpelstiltskin more than he bargained for by handing over her entire litter of newborns. Bob escapes at last by offering to write the tales down for his now-eager feline audience; Bob's human fans, however, may be a little disappointed that he's able to get away so soon. The easy reading chapters are well supplied with humorous line drawings--but no recipes, alas. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 93 pages
• Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (April 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375837558
• ISBN-13: 978-0375837555
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,407,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Captivating!, May 9, 2007

By 

Rick (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Save Your Tail: *if you are a rat nabbed by cats who really like stories about magic spoons, wolves with snout-warts, big, hairy chimney trolls . . . and cookies, too. (Hardcover)

Guaranteed to capture the minds and imaginations of your children. This is a collection of wonderful short tales as told by Bob, the cookie-baking rat, in his clever effort to stave off two very hungry cats... The stories are short enough to keep the attention of toddlers and allow for breaks... oh yes, did I mention the cookie breaks? Another wonderful work by children's author Mary Hanson!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How to save your tail, March 26, 2009

By 

Paws - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Save Your Tail*: *if you are a rat nabbed by cats who really like stories about magic spoons, wolves with snout-warts, big, hairy chimney trolls . . . and cookies, too. (Paperback)

How to Save your Tail was a charming, funny story relating the adventures of Bob the Rat as he tells long tales to escape becoming lunch for two ravenous cats. The story is reminiscent of the Arabian Nights where storytelling is used to escape one's fate. See how many twisted fairy tales you can recognize! Fun drawings and Bob's family tree are included. Recommended for boys and girls, Grades 2-5, with high reading level. Good read aloud for anyone!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read Aloud for Classrooms!, March 17, 2008

By 

Joy Donovan (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Save Your Tail: *if you are a rat nabbed by cats who really like stories about magic spoons, wolves with snout-warts, big, hairy chimney trolls . . . and cookies, too. (Hardcover)

A wonderful and creative twist on the traditional fairy tales children are familiar with. Packed with colorful characters that captivate the young and older children alike. Having read this book to 4th and 5th graders it is proven to entertain and leave the students wanting more! For those who enjoy creating "voices" for their characters this book is a definite must. Enjoy!