Armadillo Tattletale (Hardcover)

by Helen Ketteman (Author), Keith Graves (Illustrator) "One day, as Armadillo stumbled around searching for puddle, he overheard Egret whisper to Turtle..." (more)
Key Phrases: Blue Jay

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This pourquoi cum cautionary tale maintains that "in the bare bones beginning, Armadillo's ears were as tall as a jackrabbit's." Any time one prairie animal confides in another, Armadillo's burro-like listening devices can be seen protruding from a bush or desert rock, vibrating as they collect secret information. With an evident gleam in his squinty eyes, Armadillo then passes the hurtful news along. He doesn't desist until he tattles on Alligator, who "nipped and snipped and clipped at Armadillo's ears until there was nothing left but tiny, teeny, itsy, weenie little ears." Ketteman (Heat Wave) justifies the punishment by listing Armadillo's repeat offenses; each injured party throws "one humongous hissy fit," and each embarrassed gossiper gives Armadillo "the what-for and the how-come and the why-not," to no avail. Graves (Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance) provides earth-tone images of arid Texas grassland, populated by critters like Rattlesnake, Blue Jay and Muskrat. He styles the title character as an obsequious, elephant-gray coward, given to sniveling when confronted. Ketteman and Graves provide a comical folktale, especially relevant to little pitchers. Ages 5-10. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-"In the bare bones beginning," Armadillo had huge, tall ears and could hear everything the other animals said. He loved to eavesdrop and then tell tales on them-tales that were a little bit twisted to make trouble. For instance, Armadillo told Blue Jay that Egret thought he was scraggly looking, and "Blue Jay squalled and he bawled, and he squawked and he gawked, and he otherwise threw one humongous hissy fit." After Armadillo made trouble for several other animals, Alligator decided to teach him an unforgettable lesson, and now, "you may hide in the bushes and listen as long as you like, but you will never, ever catch an armadillo telling tales." Bold, stylized illustrations in acrylic, ink, and colored pencil accompany the humorous, imaginative text, adding to the story's appeal-the exaggerated expressions on Armadillo's face are particularly amusing. The animals are all indigenous to Louisiana and Texas, so the book could be used to give a lighter touch to a Southern/Southwestern U.S. unit, or, then again, it could be read aloud for just plain fun, which it definitely is.
Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590997238
• ISBN-13: 978-0590997232
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #281,324 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHAT A UNIQUE BOOK. WHAT A WONDERFUL LEARNING TOOL., May 10, 2007

By	D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is certainly a unique book, or, probably a better word would be "odd." When I first read it, something I ALWAYS do before presenting a new book to the kids, I must admit to having been a bit stunned and put off. The critters in this story are mean, just simply mean, and not all that loveable. Actually, they acted like quite a number of people I run across every day, i.e. like the majority of humans in this day and age. This is the beauty of this book. Kids need to learn to cope with people who are sometimes mean. They also need to learn not to be mean themselves.

The story is basically about a Armadillo, who secretly listens to the other creatures talk, then goes around tattle-taling to the other critters, those being talked about and telling them what was overheard. To make a long story short, the Armadillo eventually has his ears chewed of by one of the other animals. The animals are somewhat cruel, and treat the Aramadillo rather badly throughout the story. Anyway, this set me to thinking. This book is a wonderful book to read to the children and gives the parent or teacher an opportunity to teach them many lessons. First of course is the evil of telling stories and gossiping about others, and the harm it can do. Secondly, it illustrates the question, is it right and proper or just to solve problems by throwing "hissy-fits" and treating others badly just because they have treated us badly? Thirdly, is it best to solve problems through violence, through intimidation and meanness? Of course not, to all three. This gives the parent and/or teacher hours and hours worth of dicussion, page by page, on just how NOT to act! It gives the teacher or parent and opportunity to point out the many alternatives to the problem and an opportunity to discuss those various alternatives. It gives an opportunity to show just how a simple problem can get out of hand if not handled in a civilized manner. I like that!

Now if you want a front to cover "happy book," then indeed, you should probably look elsewhere. This book is also one of those that certainly illustrates the fact that parents and teachers should probably review the books their children are reading from time to time, and if it is felt the child cannot handle it, then the child should be guided else where...that is one of the functions of being an adult, when you really think about it. All in all, I found the book to be great and very, very useful. Recommend this one highly, depending of course, if these are the lessons you want to teach and the method you want to use to teach these lessons.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a delight!, February 24, 2001

By	Bibliotekaria (Northern California) - See all my reviews

This is a wonderful porquoi tale that could be subtitled "Why Armadillo Has Small Ears." The humor in both the language and illustrations harmonize perfectly. The story might introduce young readers to the concept that it's not nice to listen in on private conversations nor to spread gossip (especially if it's false!). This book is perfect as a read-aloud; it flows much better than a similar book, "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears."

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars On the bright side the illustrations are sumptuous and rich., February 19, 2002

By A Customer

Unfortunately, the book has only unsympathetic characters. The armadillo while he repeatedly tattletales, doesn't learn how to improve his behavior, despite the grief it causes him and others, instead he is physically stopped by having his large receptive ears chewed down by the alligator. All his friends are mean, they throw "humongous hissy fits" ,they don't allow him to drink at the watering hole and they gang up on him. The writer lapses into using vague words like "what-for, how-come and why-not" that weaken the text and meaning.

My 4 year old boy overall found it a bit sad.On the bright side the illustrations are sumptuous and rich.