Tale of a Tail

by Judit Z. Bodnar

Knowing himself to be the cleverest of all woodland creatures, Fox comes up with a scheme that will surely get rid of bumbling, begging Bear, so Fox can have his fish all to himself.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

48 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fish-loving Fox, having spent his day catching his favorite food, is unwilling to share his bounty with his neighbor, Bear, and refuses to leave the warmth and comfort of his home. Thinking to trick his ursine visitor, he tells Bear to stick his tail in the lake, as a surefire means of catching a bumper crop. When Bear does just that, and finds that his tail has frozen into the lake overnight, the bewildered creature ends up lugging the entire body of water (now frozen solid) behind him, creating a stream where none existed before, and, in a turning of the tables on Fox, ending up with plenty of fish after all...

Although not described on the dust-jacket as a traditional folktale, it is clear from the author's brief afterword that Tale of a Tail is a loose retelling of a Hungarian story, related to Judit Z. Bodnar when she was a little girl. This tale type, in which a fox tricks a bear into using his tail as a fishing rod, usually with disastrous consequences for the bear, can be found in many cultures worldwide. There is a fable from Aesop with this theme, and I have seen examples of it from a number of Native American cultures as well. Natalia M. Belting included a Loucheux variant of it in her collection, The Long-Tailed Bear and Other Indian Legends . Bodnar does something a little different with her version, however, turning the tables a bit on her would-be trickster, Fox. Rather than losing his tail, as is so commonly the case in tellings of this story, Bear triumphs, gaining all the fish he can eat, and redirecting the entire course of a watery ecosystem. I appreciated the story here, and I liked the fact that this wasn't presented as a traditional tale, since it really is an adaptation of one. I also really enjoyed the artwork by John Sanford, which I have seen compared to Jan Brett's work. The paintings here, done in oil, are richly detailed and colorful - just lovely! All in all, this is one well worth the reader's time, especially if they enjoy animal stories, tales of tricksters being tricked, or folklore in general.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different folk tale re-telling about a bear and a fox. The fox loves fish and the tantalizing aroma from his home draws his friend Bear. Bear tries to coerce Fox into giving him some fish but Fox refuses. However, thinking himself clever, tells Bear to go to the lake, sticks his tail in the water all night, and in the morning, when he wiggles his tail, Bear will catch some fish.

Bear follows the instructions but in the morning, instead of a few fish, he has caught the whole lake which has frozen to his tail. More than a little irritated at this, he begins dragging the lake behind him to confront Fox. However, the lake begins melting as the day progresses. Finally, when the Bear cannot fit himself in the forest with a whole lake attached to his tail, he looks behind and sees the melting lake has created a stream with lots of fish floating in it. Bear eats his full. Then, with a satisfied large and round belly, he walks home sleepy.

If reading about fairy and folk tales, you could include this one but it wouldn't be at the top of my list. I like different folk tales but this one doesn't circle around and closes like I expect it to. I was left wondering, 'What about the fox?' But maybe there is some moral hidden reason why the tale is told this way that I just don't get.

I do like the title and the homophones tale and tail.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This traditional tale has AMAZING illustrations. The pictures alone are worth picking up this book. Interestingly it starts with one line on the first page: “Once there was…” followed on the next page by “…or once there wasn’t…” (This alone could be a good point for discussion.) This beast tale, derived from Hungarian origins (as mentioned by the author), is about a greedy fox trying to trick a bear to leave him and his fresh fish catch alone. The plot is very lively as it unfolds. What ends up happening is the bear, who was first tricked, lucks out and comes out on top, with an amazing catch of fish. The theme is along the lines of trust, perseverance and patience. The pictures are rich with color and detail and appear to represent an ancient, northern, fishing culture.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, 2.5 stars, I think. My sister didn't care for this English language version of a Hungarian children's story. She said that it "had too many words," and the thing just didn't grab her. My niece liked the story and said that it was somehow familiar to her. It did sort of have a timeless ring to it.

My nephew and I were more ambivalent about this book. We didn't love the story, but we weren't put off by it either. He and I both enjoyed the illustrations, though, and derived most of our enjoyment from them.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in the manner of a fairy tale, this book starts with the evocative words, "Once there was..."

And in the manner of traditional fairy tales, this story is more brutalist than the typical picture book saga.

In "A Note from the Author"

What does Judit Z. Bodnar tell us? "Tale of a Tail" was inspired by a (traditional?) story from Hungary.
That adds up.

FIVE STARS for this rather refined version of a fairy tale. After all, I've never heard of one of these that ended in a letter mailed from one protagonist to another.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story, especially since it was adapted from a Hungarian story. What would have made it perfect was that if Fox had seen how it 'advice' backfired and benefited the bear in the end. Then it would have been perfect.

[Isabela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this book, Tale of a Tail, was a very fun book that taught a lesson, not to be greedy and I enjoyed reading it.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

the illustrations in this are GORGEOUS. the texture! the light!! i want to hang every page on my wall.

(also it's long but my 2-year-old will sit still for it, which is high praise)

[Andrew Stockle · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Tale of A Tail” is an interesting book about a Fox and Bear who are good friends. One day the Fox is about to eat his dinner when the bear comes to his home asking him to share some of his delicious fish, to which the fox responds “get your own food”, then the fox explains to the bear his special method of catching fish. The events that follow are the bear’s humorous experience catching the fish. This book is not what I thought it would be at all, based on the cover I believed I would be reading a book about a fox; however, this story is mostly about the bear. The pictures take up the full page and the text is integrated into the environment, the animals in the story have human qualities, they move and behave like humans, eat with forks and knives, and even wear clothing. Honestly, this is a good book to look at and it was fun to read, but I would not use it in teaching. I am not sure what lesson the reader is to gain from the story.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED reading this tale to Alexis when she was a preschooler. I admit, I probably liked it more than she did. How clever is that Fox?

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations were by FAR the best feature of this book. The story might have lost something (or gain several hundred words) in the translation.