Taffy and the Tapir Party

by Matthew Cox, Julia Henauer (Illustrator)

Set off on an adventure with Taffy the Tapir as he makes his way to the Elephant Ferry, to go to the annual tapir party. On the way, he uses his special tapir skills to help his friends who have all lost something special to them. Penelope Pelican has lost her hat, Cara Capybara has lost her wellies, and Leonard Lemur has lost his glasses. Spending all this time helping his friends, will Taffy still be able to reach the Elephant Ferry on time?

A feel good book about adventure, friendship and working together. Full of Julia’s beautiful illustrations that really bring Taffy’s world to life. Featuring lots of fun detail and animals to find in each illustration.

36 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2022

Reviews

[Rebecca]

This was so cute! Taffy the tapir is on his way to an annual tapir party, but keeps getting waylaid by friends who need help only he can give them. When his generosity threatens to derail his plans, he is surprised with reciprocity. This touching story would be great for reading aloud with kids because of the alliteration, rhymes and refrain, while the fun illustration style reminded me of Axel Scheffler's, or the Ice Age movies. There are lots of little details of flora and insects for children to spot. My only misgiving was about the blend of African and South American species (elephant, lemur, baobab vs. tapir, capybara, sloth).

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Fairy Tale]

Woah! What an absolutely delightful book! Had me smiling the whole time 😊 Thoroughly enjoyable in every way.

I love Tapirs and I think they are one of the lesser-known animals in the kingdom, so I was so surprised and happy to see this book! What a great, unique choice for a character, and Taffy certainly doesn't disappoint.

Taffy's enthusiasm and excitement literally drips off the page from the very start. The book begins with, "It's here! It's here!" 🥳 and you can't help but feel just as happy and eager to get to the Annual Tapir Party.

The illustrations are so bright and fun, and absolutely perfectly matched with the story. I loved the colours and how detailed each page is. There's always something extra to see - like other animal friends "hiding" in the scene - the artwork really is beautiful and fantastic.

I liked how you learn some tapir facts along way when Taffy is helping his friends. I thought Taffy's friends were so funny. Penelope with her hat and Cara with her wellies really gave me a chuckle. So cute and adorable - I loved them.

The only thing that made me a tiny bit sad was that the friends Taffy helped weren't at the party, haha.

Honestly, I loved this book so much. What a debut! I'll be eager to see what other works this author and illustrator team bring us in the future.


*I received an advance review e-copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Margaret]

I received a ARC free from Book Sirens and this is my voluntary honest review.
Delight!
Enjoyable!
Amazing, bright, beautiful, and colorful illustrations!
Cute!
Adorable!
Puts a smile on your face!
Excellent!

[Andrea Smith]

Taffy and the Tapir Party
4 Stars 

Taffy is a cute, fun picture book that sends a positive message and encourages friendship. I found myself smiling at the adorable animal illustrations; they're very expressive. My eyes appreciate the more natural, muted color palette. I love the tiny details hidden in the larger picture. 


This book uses phonics, rhyming and repetitive actions that children adore. Parents will enjoy these things because they are great for developing pre-reading skills. Since this book is geared to re-reading skills, I found myself disappointed that the speech wasn't considered. I deducted a star because both my children have speech issues. So, I disliked some of the name choices. For example, one character is named Penelope Penguin. Articulation wise, the L, R, S, Th, and Z can be difficult sounds for children to produce. Definitely not beginner friendly. 


Overall, it's a pretty good book. A good choice for the classroom or any library. 

I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Dholakia]

The book tells the beautiful story of Taffy, the young and energetic Tapir. Taffy wants to attend the annual Tapir Party and is excited to catch the Elephant Ferry which will take him to the venue. But during the journey, the young Taffy meets his friends who seek his help. Stopping to help them will make Tapir late, and he might miss the Ferry, which will mean missing the family party.

Will Tapir help his friends? Or will he decide to think of himself and will not wait and lose valuable time? To know what happens, you will have to read this endearing story which is accompanied by beautiful illustrations. Readers of all ages, especially young ones will enjoy this story which teaches about the importance of friendship and helping others when one can. I enjoyed reading this simple and heart-warming story and would recommend it.

[Spinds❤]

Taffy the tapir is one of the cutest books I've ever read. The cover and title caught my attention. The illustrations are so amazing and colourful and vibrant, I love the art style and I love the story. It was incredibly cute and heartwarming. Taffy the Tapir is on his way to the annual Tapir party but nearly misses the party helping his friends along the way. It's definitely a book I would recommend highly if I still worked at my old book shop 9/10!! Loved every minute of reading this cute gem!


I received and advanced review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to BookSirens!!!

[YN Zuo]

As a tapir enthusiast I was pleased to see a picture book with a tapir as the main character for once, and the story has a valuable moral for its younger readers.
Gorgeous colors and detail; if I have one minor quibble it would be that at certain moments Taffy looks more like a boar than a tapir and this irked my tapir fanaticism (I showed the book to my partner and without reading the text he also assumed it was a young boar), but as I said, it is a minor quibble. Well-done to the team behind this book, I look forward to reading what you put out next.

[Fleur Haines]

We were becoming a bit bored of reading the same books over and over again and came across this one. I was interested in the idea of a book about a Tapir! It was quite an original idea and my little boy loves animals. The story is fun and easy for him to follow. He enjoys joining in with parts of the story. The characters are very lovable and each time we read it we see another quirky character illustration we missed! I can't wait to buy more books in the series. I would definitely recommend this book!

[Lexi V]

I really liked this book. It reminded me of The Squirrel's Birthday and Other Parties by Toon Tellegen. I liked how Taffy helped his friends even when he was on a mission to get to the tapir party. The illustrations are really beautiful, with rich, warm, vibrant colors. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Heide Henauer]

What an absolutely amazing children’s book. You want to dive in immediately and be part of this wonderful fantasy world that Julia has created for Matt’s story. The colours are vibrant and beautiful, the story teaches us about compassion and friendship. The artwork is simply breathtaking with tiny details that every child will love to discover. Everytime I open the book I find something new and admirable. A book that will excite children and grown-ups alike.

[Sally Wilsey]

I really have to say the illustrations in this book are A +. They are vibrant and very pleasing to look at. I really like this book because it has to messages. One is to be helpful when you can and the other is about teamwork to achieve a goal. Tapir is trying to get to the Elephant Ferry in time to get to a party. Along the way he gets stopped for various reasons. The characters are so cute especially the bunch of beetles. I highly recommend this book for a bedtime story or ages 2-6.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sentinelle23]

🤗💛Adorable!!

Taffy the little tapir was squealing with joy: today is the annual tapir festival, friends and family would be gathered to dance, play, and have fun...

****

A cute, kind story with a totally adorable and original little character, a good backstory, and above all, splendid and beautiful drawings!

A must-read!

[Chris D-L]

I love this book. Great illustrations with a classic story of friendship from some unusual animals. Lots of detail in the pictures and great child appropriate vocabulary and writing features.