Book Review: Poppy’s Tail by Cate Douglas

The excitement of a new book is something I hope Leo never tires of. When I treat him to a new book the look of pure joy on his face is something to behold, he can barely contain his excitement, desperate to get home to read it together! I must admit that I love kids books equally as much as he does and always enjoy discovering new stories alongside him. We have had the privilege of being sent so many wonderful books to share together over the last few months and most recently I was contacted by the wonderful Cate Douglas who kindly offered to send Leo a copy of her book.

Cate is author of children’s book Poppy’s Tail the story of a little girl called Poppy, funnily enough, who dreams about how fun it would be have a tail. Aimed at children aged 3-5yrs, the story see’s Poppy try out several animal tails from a pigs to a peacocks before inventing her own which she discovers has many attributes!

Delivered addressed to us both Leo couldn’t wait to open the package when it arrived and was thrilled to discover a new book inside, insisting we read it immediately! The first thing he noticed was that Cate had signed it inside especially for him which made his day, thank you Cate! The story is written in rhyme which I personally love in a kids book as I find it helps it to flow, helping kids engage in the story and Poppy’s Tail is a fantastic example, it’s perfectly pitched for the audience.

Together we chuckled along at the different tails Poppy imagined she could have, the fish was a particular favourite citing a belly laugh from the little man! The story really sparked Leo’s imagination and we spoke at length about the different animal tails he could have eventually deciding he would like a monkey tail – I agree this would be perfect as he is a cheeky monkey most of the time! Leo also loved Poppy’s rainbow tail and seeing all the things she could do with it, even giving his own bottom a little waggle to shake his imaginary tail!

This captivating children’s story also offers a fantastic message of friendship at the end which is such a fabulous attribute. Leo loved the thought of being kind and hugging his friends with a special tail.

The illustrations are bright, colourful and engaging, perfectly capturing the fun and humour of the story. Whilst this book is aimed at a younger audience I’m sure older children would enjoy it equally as the humour is relatable for any age, even someone as old as me!

Poppy’s Tail has become a firm favourite on our bookshelf ! It’s a great story to share at anytime of the day, however we think it makes the perfect bedtime story thanks to its ending which leaves readers with a warm, happy fuzzy feeling.

Poppy’s Tail is available to purchase from Amazon

About The Author

Cate Douglas has a background in graphic design and copywriting. She contributes to journals within her target market, speaks at associated trade events and is a governor at a London prep school. A quiet calling to write children’s picture books first emerged when her daughter was a toddler. Now, with an empty nest, she has been able to fulfil a passionate commitment to bring forth her first book, Poppy’s Tail. She lives in London and takes time for creative nourishment on a small Greek island.

We were gifted a copy of this book with no expectation of a review in return – we just loved the book so much we wanted to share it with you! All thoughts and opinions expressed are our own.