Little Skink’s Tail

by: Janet Halfmann

Published by: Sylvan Dell

Reviewed by Sabrina Williams

As she snacks on ants one day, a happy little skink (lizard) loses her tail to a hungry crow in Little Skink’s Tail by Janet Halfmann. Saddened by the loss of her tail, she spends time imagining what she would look like with the tails of various other woodland creatures. While Little Skink is contemplating the reasons why the tails of other animals would not fit her body, her own tail is growing back, to her delight.

The story is a pleasure to read to young children aged four to eight. Laurie Allen Klein’s illustrations are adorable and engaging. Imagine a skink with a squirrel’s tail, and the laughter that will erupt from young readers at the sight. Klein is certainly a talented artist in her ability to make a lizard look incredibly cute and cuddly, even in the eyes of a squeamish mother. She also illustrated If a Dolphin Were a Fish for Sylvan Dell Publishing.

In addition, Halfmann’s storyline is educational and informative. As readers become familiar with the character of Little Skink, they are also becoming familiar with a defense mechanism of many lizards. Halfmann came up with the idea for Little Skink’s Tail while completing research for another book and writing an article for Ranger Rick magazine.

The story closes with a footprint map for use in identifying the tracks of the various animals Little Skink encounters. There is a matching activity explaining the functions each animal’s tale performs. Both exercises can be downloaded and printed from the publisher’s website. As always, Sylvan Dell Publishing has produced another quality teaching tool.

Armchair Interviews says: Sylvan Dell holds a special place on the bookshelf in this reviewer’s home.