The Children’s Book Review | April 27, 2016
A Tale of Two Beasts
Written and Illustrated by Fiona Roberton
Age Range: 5-9 years
Hardcover Book: 32 pages
Publisher: Kane Miller EDC Publishing (2015)
ISBN-13: 978-1-61067-361-7
What to expect: Cute animals, children, perspective, empathy.
Two beasts star in this book – but who really is the bad guy?
One day a little girl was out walking in the deep dark forest. She spied a tiny, adorable little animal who needed rescuing. After bringing him home, giving him a perfume-filled bath, walking him over and over, and feeding him nuts, she thinks she’s made a lifelong friend. Then disaster strikes when he runs away.
One day (in the same deep dark forest) a cute animal was minding his own business when a terrible girl-shaped monster came and kidnapped him. After torturing him with stinky baths and inedible food, he sees his escape and runs for it.
You guessed it: these are both the same story. Told in two perspectives, one from the adorable little girl, and one from the even more adorable little animal, we see that there are truly two sides to every story. In the end, though, they come back together and realize that maybe the beast of their nightmares is not so bad after all.
This is such a sweet book that makes children laugh out loud. The illustrations are adjusted for each perspective, and it’s fun to pick out the differences between the two. The illustrations are beautiful and colorful, and the book is of a sturdy construction that won’t rip easily. The wording is perfectly executed, balancing cuteness with easy-to-read prose. Children will immediately want to read the story again when they realize the twist. Highly recommended.
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A Tale of Two Beasts, written and illustrated by Fiona Roberton, was reviewed by Denise Mealy. Discover more books like A Tale of Two Beasts by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Empathy, Animal Books, Humor, and Picture Books.
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