Book Review: Tails: A Backyard Story (a backyard tale told in English by the animals themselves)

Tails, A Backyard Story by Michael Curran (Independently published, $15, 2023, 202pp, first in a trilogy) Review by Skye Anderson

What comes first, tails or fences? Or Tails or Fences? In this case, we read the second book in the trilogy first (Fences) followed by Tails, and though one can easily follow events by reading the books out of order, we would advise reading the first book first and the second book second. The third book in the trilogy is not yet  finished.

Like Fences, Tails begins with several chapters starring one major character each and featured on the cover (but there are more characters in Fences**). We meet Dutch the dog and Chase the dog, Buddy the cat and chief of Indoor Security, Ricky the Mockingbird (who plays a much larger role in the second book), Skip the squirrel, Robin the robin, Miss Lou Lou the field mouse (or, more accurately, the vole) and some bunnies. And the humans* of course - Wendy and Scott and their 9-year-old Cole, who reside at 207 Spruce Street. Our friends the animals also live at 207 Spruce Street but in the backyard, primarily.

Shades of To Kill a Mockingbird

Partially written in the voice of Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird, Tails and Fences are a delight to peruse - quick to read because we  simply love each character, want to learn more about them, laugh a little and follow the plot: in this case, a Little League baseball game final.

*humans are called humies by Michael Curran

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