The Best Bottom

"Have I shown you my beautiful tail?" Peacock asks Frog. Pig proclaims that his pink corkscrew is quite charming as well. Soon, Donkey, Dog, Cat, Horse, Rabbit-the entire farm, in fact-are admiring the magnificence of their own tails. The question on everyone's mind is: Who has the nicest tail? With that, the contest begins. All the animals are ready to compete, but the winner comes as a big surprise to the barnyard!

PreSchool-Grade 2–The animals on the farm, including a portly pink pig and a couple of blue roosters, plan a competition to decide who has the best tail. Frog decides to enter despite her tailless status. As the contest begins, the animals bicker and fight, ruining each other's tails in the process. When Frog, a wise and winsome character, hops across the stage with a bouquet of flowers attached to her rear, the bovine judges applaud her creativity and declare her the winner. Colorful, cartoon animals with expressive faces populate Pottie's full-spread paintings, but the text placement looks haphazard and, at times, too dense. While the cover illustration of animals mooning readers promises more humor than the book delivers, the story will attract browsers. This tale models creative thinking as a way of besting vanity and rivalry, making it a useful addition to larger collections.–Rachel G. Payne, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
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