by Sean Cassidy
Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 2014
ISBN 978-1-55455-284-9
$18.95 (hc), 32 pp, ages 5+
fitzhenry.ca
A Woodpecker’s Tale is a story about the adventures of a brave, baby woodpecker (Pierce) leaving his safe nest to find food. One of Pierce’s experiences was meeting a skunk who lived in a hollow tree. The skunk did what skunks do—sprayed oil! My favourite part was when Pierce got excited because he thought he had found tasty bugs to eat. Instead, he got stung by bees. He zoomed back to his home and the bees followed him. I loved the part when the bees flew through the hollow log and stung the skunk. They got him back! Other children would enjoy this book because the adventures were very funny. Pierce was also funny. He was also very frightened, and sometimes even embarrassed. This book made me curious about animals that play dead like the opossum did.
Review by Meghan (with help from her grandmother), age 7, Grade 1.
This review is from Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Apr/May 2015 issue.