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Children’s Book Review: Little Skink’s Tail

October 12th, 2007
By JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief

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From 1980-1982 I worked on Knight-Ridder’s Wichita Eagle-Beacon as a general assignment reporter, and I had the pleasure of having my desk right next to a skillful yet always-nice reporter named Janet Halfmann. I later had the pleasure of meeting her family and she and her family were the embodiment of “family values,” just as she was the perfect role model for anyone in the press — a thorough reporter, accurate, a skillful writer and a genuinely wonderful lady.

I left Wichita in January 1982 to join the staff of Copley Press’ The San Diego Union and never saw Halfmann again, but we exchanged Christmas cards. And during the intervening years, I learned that she left the news biz herself to become a highly respected and popular writer of children’s books. And who would be more qualified to do that that someone who talked the talk and walked the walk of someone who truly cared about kids and families and treating everyone with respect?

Now, as someone who personally still loves to read children’s books (I once had aspirations to write kids’ books), I see she has new children’s book out — and it is a winner. The title: Little Skink’s Tail, and her note to readers on Amazon is typically Janet:

Dear Reader, I hope you enjoy pretending with Little Skink as much as I enjoyed daydreaming with her while I wrote Little Skink’s Tail. I met Little Skink when I was writing a nonfiction book about all kinds of lizards. There she was, twitching her bright blue tail, and I knew she had a story to tell. Before long, she was slinking in and out of our dress-up box, showing off tail after tail. She reminded me of my granddaughter — ­one of the world’s great pretenders! While I watched the show in my daydreams, I got the chance to play with words, imagining the fun things Little Skink would say about each tail. What a wonderful time we had, and I wish the same for you! Happy Reading, Janet Halfmann

The story follows Little Skink, who dreams of having the tails of other animals in the forest. Skinks can regrow their tails…but we won’t give the rest of the delightful plot away (you can read people giving it away on amazon if you check out the rave reviews). But it’s written in the way Halfmann did her reporting: solid, stylish and something you’d be proud to show to anyone. And what better recommendation than THAT to readers who’ll buy the book to show it to their most prized people — their children?

You can listen to her talking about her book on a Wisconsin radio show via THIS podcast of an Oct. 11th show.

On TMV’s rating scale we give this 10 out of 10 stars.



This entry was posted on Friday, October 12th, 2007 at 12:10 am and is filed under Reviews, Books. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

 
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