Secrets and Symbiosis

Jonathan Auxier can just take all of my money already! His stories always have the ability to transport us to another time, full of magic but a good magic, a magic I can buy into and connect with. In his newest book in the Fabled Stables series, Trouble with Tattle-Tails, we once again head to the top of the world to visit Auggie and the creatures of the Fabled Stables. This time Willa the Wisp is part of helping Auggie with the newest addition to the barn, the Tattle-Tail. 

When the stable gets a new stall with a sign saying Tattle-Tail, Auggie, Fen and Willa are off to Rainbow’s End to help the citizens with their Tattle-Tail problem. You see the tattle tail is a creatiure that attaches itself to a person exactly like a tail and tells anyone within ear shot about all of the things the person did wrong. This makes for some hilarious moments in the story about nose picking and farts and who doesn’t love a good fart mention in a children’s book.

The tattle-tails are hilarious but not quite as funny as Fen who keeps mishearing things due to the wax stuck in his ears. Of course in the end Auggie figures out a way to stop the Rooks and save the town as well as the Tattle-Tail. Wonderfully, the Tattle-Tail helps him with a problem he’s having back at the stable. Trouble with Tattle-Tails is a perfect book to help children understand the difference between tattling and telling. Being helpful and kind versus just trying to get someone into trouble.

The illustrations by Olga Demidova are once again amazing and colourful. I love the way she depicted the citizen’s of Rainbow’s End. The town is full of diverse citizens and so are their tattle-tails. There are many big full page spreads making this series a fantastic one for those just starting to read chapter books. Fans of The Princess in Black will really enjoy The Fabled Stables.