A Tale of Two Beasts

PreS-Gr 2—A girl and a squirrel-like "beast" take turns telling the same tale from their own perspectives. While in the woods, the girl sees the lost creature, takes pity, and brings it home. From there she gives him a bath and a walk and shows him off to her friends. To her disappointment, he escapes, only to return and rekindle the friendship. In the second half, readers hear the story from the creature's point of view. He is "hanging from my favorite tree, singing happily to the birds," when a "terrible beast" ambushes him, takes him to her lair, dresses him up, and shows him off to a "herd of even wilder beasts." He finally scurries out an open window, ultimately returning for the warm hat the girl gave him. Eventually, each character decides the other isn't so bad and might even be a friend. This story is a good lesson in perspective, and it could be used in teaching point of view. It is not until halfway through that readers understand they are reading the same story by two storytellers, and the book shines during the humorous second half, where kids will enjoy the creature's amusing observations about humans. However, the narrative itself feels slight; the illustrations and text are appealing, but not particularly exciting and without much of a climax.