Title: Fern and Her Not So Puffy Tail
Author: Shanell Sager
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 978-1-6655-7926-1
Pages: 36
Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book
Reviewed by: Beth Adams

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In Fern and Her Not So Puffy Tail by author Shanell Sager, readers are introduced to Fern, a spring-time bunny with, well, not such a big fluffy tail as the other rabbits have. Fern is very self-conscious about her “little” tail, and gets teased about it at times. She wants to have a bigger, puffier tail like the other bunnies.

So she sets out on an adventure to find a way to have a puffy tail, when she comes across two horses, Red and Cisco, in front of their roadside vegetable stand. The horses give Fern a head of garlic, and although it looked like a bigger tail, the smell of the garlic was too strong to have tied on her back; so that didn’t work out. Next was a visit to a pet store, where the storekeeper, Hashtag, suggested in a sea urchin. The creature was black and spiney, and didn’t work out, in fact it hurt Fern. So, Fern went to the drug store and Spice, the pharmacist, gave Fern some cream and applied it with a cotton ball. Although that cotton ball seemed to work out well, it began to rain and the cotton ball shrank and got all mushy. So Fern passed by the beauty store, where they tried to dry and puff up the cotton ball. Although it was puffier than it was before, Fern knew there was nothing she could do – except – enjoy the way God made her and not to worry about such a little difference in bodily features. Fern also realized the love and sense of community the others had shown her in trying to help her.

Which brings us to the morale of the story. Relish and enjoy the differences in people, accept and be proud of the ways each of us are created. This is a very important lesson, perhaps even more relevant in today’s society with the emphasis of advertising showcasing such stereotypical images of people with features of hair, body weight, complexion and shapes not representing the spectrum of all people.

Ending with a Bible scripture, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” reinforces the theme of this craftfully creative illustrated story and opens up the possibility for a parent to discuss certain characteristics of appearance with their youngsters, allowing for embracing and reaffirming self-esteem within children.

Author Shanell Sager has picked the perfect personified bunny protagonist with using the comparison of puffiness of tails to be a gentle yet powerful way to convey her message. Fern and Her Not So Puffy Tail is a book which should be a part of all family libraries – especially those with kids growing up in diverse neighborhoods and larger families.