Tale of Two Beasts, A

When a little girl rescues a strange beast from the woods, she takes him home. But for some reason, the little beast is not happy! There are two sides to every story, and this funny and charming tale is no exception. Author/illustrator Fiona Roberton offers both points of view in this discussion-starting tale of the importance of seeing the world in different ways.

From a parent:
This is the cutest story. Told from two different points of view (the girl and the "beast"), the same set of events has two very different spins. My 8-year-old got about three pages into Part II and said, "Oh, I get it! Part I is the girl's version, and Part II is the beast's version." It's great for starting conversations about both how stories have more than one side AND the importance of taking your friends' feelings into consideration. Adorable!

From a teacher:
A Tale of Two Beasts was a hit with my kindergarten book critics. They laughed and enjoyed seeing the story told from two points of view. It's a clever take and can help young students understand that people can (or in this case, living beings) see the same thing differently. I often hear two versions of a tale at lunch or recess. The ending is smart as well. It's not what you expect and young readers always like a humorous twist. With the Common Core emphasis on comparing two texts, how great is it that you can get this in one book?

About the author:
Fiona Roberton was born in Oxford, studied art and design in London and New York, and has worked and lived and traveled all over the world. Traveling is one of her favourite things. She lives in the UK.