Churchill's Tale of Tails

by Anca Sandu

Churchill, a pig with a big personality, couldn't be prouder of his perfect tail. And then one day, it goes missing.

When Churchill the pig loses his precious tail, his friends help him hunt for a new one. But trying new tails is so much fun that soon Churchill has forgotten his friends completely. Can Churchill learn to put friendship first, and solve the mystery of his missing tail?

Featuring expressive illustrations and an appealingly self-absorbed protagonist, this whimsical story will keep readers laughing as they explore the significance of appearances and identity and their impact on friendships.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Fiction, Humor

32 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2012

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Churchill's in a real quandary when his cute, curly tail goes missing.

It wasn't a big tail.
It wasn't a fancy tail.
It wasn't even a practical tail,
But it was HIS tail,
and it made him feel GREAT.

Luckily he's got plenty of friends to help him out with some substitute tails while he searches for the real one.

I loved the artwork in this book! It's got a breezy, cartoony style, yet no outlines.



Plus, more books should feature zebras! (Aren't they cool?)

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Churchill's Tale of Tails provides not only plenty of giggles but an important message about the dangers of pride and self-absorption. Churchill loves his 'perfect little tail.' But one morning he wakes up to find it missing. When he is unable to find it, his good friends, Billy and Gruff, set out to help him find a new one. But Churchill becomes so absorbed in trying out different tails that he neglects his friends, only to discover that his friends are more important. The illustrations are really cute with lots of fun details to look at. My favorite illustrations though are the ones with Churchill and his new tails, they are really quite amusing. I also thought the message was beautifully integrated into the story. All in all, a real winner.

[Sunah Chung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Churchill is a pig with a pride of his tail because it is HIS tail. When he loses his tail, he and his friend search for his lost tail and visit other friends to find another tail for Churchill. Churchill tries diverse tails from his friends such as fish, tiger, peacock, and elephant. He enjoys his new tail, forgetting about his friends. Finally he gets his own tail back and realizes that he was mean to his friends and asks forgiveness.
What I like about the story is that he loves his own tail because it is his tail. Even though it is not big, fancy, or practical, he loves his tail. I also like that he still enjoys deviating from the norm, changing his tail to other fancy ones. We need to appreciate what we have and who we are as the way we were born. But at the same time, we need the freedom to enjoy breaking socially constructed norms which are imposed on individuals. I also like the title of the book, "Tale of Tails", which is exploiting two words that sound alike. One concern I have is that young children may misunderstand that pigs could take off its tail and attach it again as the story tells. The Illustrations are simple and cute by combining Adobe illustrator and hand-drawn art works.

[Judah Copeland]

As the book starts we see a pig named churchhill and his wonderful pig tail that he loves so very much. One day churchhill wakes up and sees that he is missing his tail! He then has some good friends Billy and Gruff who try to help him feel better by getting him a different tail which he borrows from the zebras. This leads Churchhill on a journey of trying all kinds of tails until he trys on a lions tail which makes him feel so proud. He then sees his shadow and it scares him so he runs away in fear until he sees this little bird that has something that looks like his old tail sitting on his head. Churchhill than trades back for his old tail happy as can be churchhill calls all his friends he had borrowed tails from saying he will never do that again. At least for the most part. I think we can use this in classroom to show kids no matter how you look or feel that you're made the exact way you're suppose to be and that you should be proud of who you are and how you look. But this also doesn't mean you can't explore anything else I encourage you to go out and try to put yourself in someone else's shoes.

[Missy Matula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love love loved this book! The illustrations in this almost reminded me of Richard Scary's art work. I loved the minimal yet detailed art that filled these pages. I thought it was a great message about being vein and to not get too caught up on appearances. It's important to stay humble and not forget about spending time with who matter to you. I loved all of the artwork of the animals. They were adorable and so detailed in their colors and composition. I loved this book!

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhh. Churchill the pig has lost his tale, so to make him feel better, his friends help him find a new one. But Churchill becomes so engrossed in finding and playing with other’s tales, that he forgets his friends. Until he finds his original tale and meets someone new, that reminds him of his old friends. THis story is lovely, and the illustrations are just as good. My favorite has to be when Churchill tries on a peacock tale.#Wintergames #teamreadnosereindeer +16

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Churchill had one thing that he prized above everything else ... his tail."

A pig loses all perspective when he loses his tail and searches for a replacement. He even forgets about his good friends.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Churchill the pig loses his tail. He's lost without it and tries on tails from other animals. One day, he stumbles upon his tail atop a small bird who loves wearing this tail he found in a bush.
A tale of a tail!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, but predictable.

[Jenny Mock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book works well for a discussion on animal adaptations, specifically tails. The story is funny enough to keep kids engaged.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

What suits you? Different tails can change who we are.

[Adrian Mendez · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite part was the illustrations in this book. I can use this book to teach my children that it’s ok to try different things. I can also ask them what message they got out of the book.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable tale about a lost & found tail, but also about friendship and forgiveness!

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Patricia Kemp Blackmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Churchill is very proud of his tail and what a cute tail he had. Then one day his tail disappeared and he searched all over for his tail. He decided to find a new tail because he did not like not having a tail. He tried many tails. zebra, peacock, fish all kinds of tails. Some of the tails made him feel different. Strong, big, brave many different feelings and emotions. Then he began to ignore his friends and became very full of himself all because of his new many tails.

Would Churchill ever be himself again? Whatever happened to his tail? His friends missed the old Churchill.

This was a funny tale that turned into a sad tale. The author spun a tale about a very self centered pig. The illustrations of Churchill trying on the tails was hilarious and will have children giggling over the silliness, as did I when I saw him with a fish tail. What an imagination the author and illustrator must have.

Most importantly his tale teaches the importance of friends. Be sure to make time for your friends. Maybe you could read this tale of tails with them.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Peachtree Publishers for review. I was in no way compensated for this review. This review is my honest opinion.

[Rita Zori]

In Churchill’s Tale of Tails, a new picture book by Anca Sandu (Peachtree Publishers, 2014; $16.95; ages 4-8) readers meet Churchill, a rather sophisticated pig. He likes to take tea, paint self portraits (lots of them,) and play classical music. He is also quite a proud pig, especially of his tail. It wasn’t a big tail. It wasn’t a fancy tail. It wasn’t even a very practical tail. But it was his tail, and it made him feel great.

So when Churchill loses his tail, he isn’t happy. His friends, Billy and Gruff, try to help by finding other tails for Churchill to try. There are so many tails—zebra, peacock, fish, and more—and they make him feel so different and wonderful that Churchill no longer has time for his friends. A tail from the fish made Churchill feel fantastic! He could do things he’d never done before. “Churchill never talks to us anymore. It’s all these fancy tails.”

Will Churchill realize he’s being a bad friend? Will he find his own tail? Does he even want it back? This delightful tale will engage readers for the creativity of the story, the humorous artwork, and the moral. Does trying to be different mean that you forget your true friends? Anca Sandu answers this question in a realistic and sweet manner that young children will enjoy and understand.

[Venus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally posted here at Children's Atheneum.

Churchill is rather proud of it's tale. Then, one day, it disappears. Despite trying on a variety of different tales, some of which add to his personality, Churchill discovers that his friends are what is truly important. A tale, despite how awesome it can be, can never be better than friends.

I am going to assume that this book was originally published overseas, since it has an original publication date of 2012, but was just released here in March 2014. Reminiscent of Eeyore, but with a more flamboyant personality, Churchill's Tale of Tails is a fun story with a good deal of silliness. I personally loved the peacock tale. The illustrations and expressions of the various animal cast were cleverly done and there was great use of the white space on the page. As is expected, there is a nice little lesson to learn, but it never felt heavy handed.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Churchill's Tale of Tales by Anca Sandu is a nominee for the 2015-2016 South Carolina Picture Book Award.

Churchill is a very proud pig. He enjoys many things, but the most important thing in his life is his tail. One day, though, Churchill loses his precious tail, and he looks to his friends for help in finding a new one.

As Churchill tries on tail after tail, he soon loses touch with his friends. Has finding a new tail really become more important to him than friendship?

Will Churchill ever find his own tail? More importantly, will he find his way back to the friends who helped him on his way? Find out when you read Churchill's Tale of Tails!

With charming illustrations, a simple, entertaining narrative, and an important (but not too preachy) lesson, this book is sure to be a hit in read-alouds and in elementary-level libraries. Many young (and older) readers may just learn a little something from Churchill, and this delightful book could lead them to value their friendships a bit more than the material and fleeting things in the world.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Churchill is quite a character, as are his friends. Children in preschool and kindergarten will enjoy the pig's amusing and entertaining search for a new tail. The illustrations are digitally rendered with hand-drawn textures and shading. Possibly more importantly, they are humorous, bright, colorful and give the readers much to look at throughout the story. Obviously you see the pig trying on a wide variety of tails, even searching the toilet for his missing one, but you also get a sense of the the goats' personalities when they climb atop one another to reach the phone in one illustration. The missing tail is eventually located in a most unusual place. This is more than a tale of tails, it's about friendship, pride and identity.

[B Zimp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parent vote - 2 stars, Child vote - 4 stars. Compromise for 3 stars.

Churchill is a pig who has lost his tail. It feels like Churchill has a whole back story, that isn't explained. Who is he? How did he lose his tail? Where did he get all of these amazing friends who loan them their tails? Why did the owl/bird who found the missing tail wear it on her head? How do you decide where the snake stops and the snake tail starts? Is it possible you were just wearing a whole snake on your head and not just the snake tail? I may have been more interested in the book if it addressed these issues.

Quote from my 2 year old child post-reading: "Ewww mom tiger's tails come out of their butts." Yes, yes they do.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most of us, Churchill has one thing about which he is proud--his tail. Naturally, when he loses it, he feels confused. With the help of his friends, he looks for another tail and loses himself in the process. Young readers will appreciate this book's message while enjoying the illustrations created in Adobe illustrator and combining digital color with textures and shading that were hand drawn. It's funny to see Churchill with all those various tails, including one from a goldfish and one from a tiger.

[American Mensa]

Review by Isabella A., age 4, Charlotte-Blue Ridge Mensa

This book is about a pig that lost his old tail. He was sad. He tries on lots of new tails to make it better. His friends were sad because he did not play with them anymore. He found his tail and had a tea party with his friends. I like this book because it was funny when he tried on silly tails. It will make you laugh when you read it and see the pictures of the pig with the wrong tails on. The peacock tail is so funny!

[Jessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I somewhat enjoyed this story. I think there was a gentle moral about being good to your friends... but I'm not sure if that moral was undermined by just how easily Churchill got everyone's forgiveness back even though he could be quite "silly" (self-centered, arrogant and superficial)... The illustrations were great, they kind of looked like collaged cut-out pieces of paper although I think it was digital I still appreciated the effect.

[Shoshana · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover of this edition is sort of terrible - I hope they change it prior to publication. Aside from that, there is NOTHING I DO NOT LOVE ABOUT THIS. Adorable, funny, super cute illustrations, and a good message about friendship and self-confidence. And a pig in a peacock's tail. WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE?

[Roben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Churchill does love his tail. So when it disappears, he is simply undone! Fortunately his friends are willing to lend him some of their spare tails while he searches for his very own, perfectly curly tail. This would make a wonderful read aloud! Can't you just imagine a story time about tails?

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story about a pig who loses his tail. He becomes so involve trying out different tails and feeling very powerful that he neglects his friends. He finally finds his tail and apologizes to his friends for not being around. Lovely soft illustrations. A great book to use one to one or with a group.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book about a pig who loses its tail and calls upon friends for a replacement. It is silly, and kids love it. A pig with a zebra tail!?! A fish tail?!? Humorous, yet also a book about sharing and new experiences. The illustrations lead the eye to Churchill with mostly white or simple backgrounds. Strategically placed, larger text also support reading.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun story about how sometimes people lose track of their friends when they get wrapped up in other things. Luckily, we usually see the error of our ways and ask for understanding, which brings friends (old and new) back together.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever title and clever story. With the emphasis on different animals, I was confused about what animal his friends are by just looking at the illustrations. Then I realized their names are "Billy" and "Gruff"!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for elementary age students--a wonderful story of something that happens to a lot of kiddos--they get a little too proud/good for their friends, and this is a reminder that it's not a permanent status.