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Tailypo!
A retelling of an African-American folk tale about an old man who cuts a creature's tail off and is haunted by the creature, who wants his "tailypo" back
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 26, 2016
This is more like it.
Having started blogging the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series, I've returned to one of my favorite childhood spooky stories: the Tailypo. In short, an isolated mountain man cuts off an eat a weird critter's tale, and the critter wants it back.
How did this one do?
Honestly, I like this one best of all. The illustrations are really dense with details and flavorful. The illustrator based the setting on his family's cabin, and it shows. The tailypo is appropriate weird-looking, and the words flow well when said aloud. If I want to read a version of Tailypo to my kids, this one is my second choice.
My first? There's an old collection of scary stories I'm hunting for. It was the only book I've seen when the Tailypo creature is yellow, and not black. Anyone remember that?
December 15, 2017
This is a spooky, vividly illustrated version of the classic Tailypo story. My only reservation is that it is pretty grisly and scary for young children, you might want to vet this one before reading it to your little ones!
September 24, 2018
A truly magnificent horror!
April 24, 2020
Fun story to tell around the campfire or as a spooky bedtime story on a stormy night. Also enjoyed the details in the artwork, it enhanced the tone of the story!
October 30, 2021
Love this book, but when I was younger I would read it before bed and one night I had one of the most horrifying nightmares of my childhood and I wouldn't read it for years and years after
November 11, 2012
Grade/interest level: K-2nd
Reading level: 720L (4th)
Genre: Folklore
Main Characters: old man, old man's dogs, a creature
Setting: Big woods of Tennessee, one room cabin
POV: narrator
Summary:
This story is about an old man living in a cabin with his dogs in the Tennessee woods. One dark night the old man comes across a creature with a long tail in his cabin. The old man quickly grabs a cutting tool and chops off the tail of the creature before it has time to escape. The old man immediately cooks and eats the tail of the creature. For the next several nights the man is haunted by the sound of the creature "Tailypo, Tailypo. All I want is my Tailypo." At first the dogs are able to chase off the tailless creature. One night the creature evades the dogs and is face to face with the terrified old man. In the end, the creature gets his tail back.
Classroom Use:
This story can be used used for dual purposes. I remember as a young student my teacher read my class this story as both a ghost story to scare us, and to teach us a lesson about talking things that belong to others.
Reading level: 720L (4th)
Genre: Folklore
Main Characters: old man, old man's dogs, a creature
Setting: Big woods of Tennessee, one room cabin
POV: narrator
Summary:
This story is about an old man living in a cabin with his dogs in the Tennessee woods. One dark night the old man comes across a creature with a long tail in his cabin. The old man quickly grabs a cutting tool and chops off the tail of the creature before it has time to escape. The old man immediately cooks and eats the tail of the creature. For the next several nights the man is haunted by the sound of the creature "Tailypo, Tailypo. All I want is my Tailypo." At first the dogs are able to chase off the tailless creature. One night the creature evades the dogs and is face to face with the terrified old man. In the end, the creature gets his tail back.
Classroom Use:
This story can be used used for dual purposes. I remember as a young student my teacher read my class this story as both a ghost story to scare us, and to teach us a lesson about talking things that belong to others.
October 12, 2013
This is the tale of an old man, living alone in a cabin the woods with his three dogs. A creature comes into the cabin and he whacks its tale off and eats it. This naturally angers the creature who comes back repeatedly looking for its "TAILYPO". Wahl's version of this tale is perfect for October/Halloween read alouds for older elementary students. Due to the nature of the story and the illustrations I would not recommend this for lower elementary students.
June 10, 2024
Much like the Scary Stories series or The Girl with the Green Ribbon, I occasionally find myself thinking back to the first time I heard this story and how frightened I was. In my opinion it's a campfire classic, one that can be enjoyed (and dreaded!) by all ages if handled by the right storyteller.
November 1, 2014
I heard a storyteller tell this story on an audiotape many years ago, and he did a fabulous job of making this story very spooky. So when I read it aloud, I try to mimic the way he told it, to increase the creepy factor. Wil Clay's acrylic paintings are fabulous.
December 14, 2009
Mommy says: This is a scary story and will freak out younger readers!
February 15, 2012
I love this book....when my brother was little he was scared to death of this book, but now he loves it too.
November 17, 2012
Seriously scary kids story (I know I make it more scary by how I read it).
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews