Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Serendipity

Tickle's Tale

Rate this book
Tickle, the cat, finds out what being too curious can lead to when he meddles in his wizard master's spell book.

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

121 people want to read

About the author

Stephen Cosgrove

362 books369 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
80 (46%)
4 stars
42 (24%)
3 stars
40 (23%)
2 stars
5 (2%)
1 star
5 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Ayla.
1,079 reviews36 followers
August 11, 2018
Absolutely love this series! Robin James is a phenomenal illustrator! Bright and adorable ! Great little story with a sweet moral! Tickles is a cat and like all cats curiosity leads to trouble. Saving these for grand kids hopefully some day!
Profile Image for J.
3,872 reviews33 followers
July 3, 2017
It was a good book but I didn't think it followed much the rest of the Serendipity series. The wording is sweet and simple while it is an easy plot to follow with beautiful pictures.

The reason I don't think that it follows the Serendipity series much is since the cat is really never caught doing something bad in a sense. And the little lesson at the end tells you that much that he was never caught besides by himself since he would now trip over his tail, which you would think the wizard would have noticed.

Anyway this story could have been just one of those books as a plain children's book instead. The children will adore the cat and find it funny what his wishes become while any cat-lover would just agree that is the way of cats.
Profile Image for Shelli.
5,167 reviews57 followers
August 11, 2018
This is a wonderful book series for kids that want to work toward reading chapter books but are not quiet there yet. Every other page has a beautiful illustration next to a page that is not overwhelming with text.

While the magician is away the cat will play; a story of consequences.
Profile Image for 寿理 宮本.
2,378 reviews16 followers
July 9, 2023
I took off two stars because this book commits the sin of perpetuating the myth that milk and cream are appropriate food for cats. I get that it's ingrained, but I can't in good conscience "like" anything that doesn't correctly feed the cat(s) involved. Same for mice with cheese and rabbits with carrots (which surprised me, but yes, too much sugar).

OTHERWISE, it's a cute story about a cat getting into mischief while his owner is away, even though "curiosity killed the cat" is ALSO a myth (but at least it's not one that actively harms cats).

Not sure if I would recommend this, mostly because its age means it will be harder to find, particularly when this edition comes (or, came) with a detachable something on the inside cover that has been removed from my (used) copy. At least this one, it's a little harder to tell the something was removed since it was removed cleanly
, but in others of the Serendipity books I've gotten, the page was still there, minus the detached thing.
Profile Image for Rena Sherwood.
Author 2 books49 followers
January 4, 2025
Many Serendipity books are so cute, you just want to throw up. This one is a little different. Robin James still gives the cat a human smile, but for the most part, the cat here looks like a cat.

Sometimes, I think Cosgrove would slip in a joke or two for the adults reading the book aloud. Kids may or may not get these jokes. But Cosgrove slipped here, with:

The Wizard Wink was a kind and gentle wizard who actually read more than he whizzed his wizardry.

How in the hell did that slip by the publishers?

The moral came earlier in the story than usual, for a slight comedic effect. Then again, I've got a feeling the moral was completely lost on the cat.

Just one more thing -- if all Tickle was fed was milk and any mice he could capture, no wonder he was hungry. Get some proper food for your cat, stupid whizzing Wizard.
Profile Image for Heidi.
98 reviews
April 10, 2019
I remember reading these as a little girl and loving the little poems at the end that had the lessons embedded in them. This one is very silly but oh so cute and a little bit of nostalgia is always fun. Just a quick read to settle me into bed.
Profile Image for Velvetea.
499 reviews17 followers
August 11, 2011
Beautiful and perfect illustrations to inspire the young mystic-to-be. I remember my elementary school library being full of Serendipity books <3.
Profile Image for Ave Binks.
94 reviews27 followers
September 23, 2013
This is just a very special book to me and holds a very special place in my childhood memories :)
Profile Image for Nikki.
58 reviews3 followers
December 16, 2016
It was a cute book for children. An easy read, and teaches the lesson to not break the rules or you will have consequences.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.