The Spooky Tail of Prewitt Peacock

The other peacocks in Prewitt's pride, from the very grand Phineas, with his magnificent tail, to Phineas' many followers, had little use for their smallest and least significant member, with his scraggly two tail feathers. But when Prewitt's tail begins to take on a rather spooky appearance - with bushy eyebrows beginning to form over the two eye spots, and a jagged mouth, and grasping claws appearing - he is given a choice: lose his tail altogether, or be ejected from the pride. Heartbroken, Prewitt contemplates the choice between turning his back on who he is, or turning his back on the only companions he has ever known. Is there, perhaps, a third choice...?

Like The Wump World, the only other Bill Peet title I have read, The Spooky show more Tail of Prewitt Peacock is a little message-heavy. It is an earnestly delivered, obviously heartfelt, and very good message, of course - namely, that differences can be a strength, and that we shouldn't have to sacrifice our identity, in order to belong to a group - but it still lurks rather prominently, just beneath the surface of the text. Still, if one can ignore that, the story itself is a lot of fun (I was reminded of Tacky the Penguin, another tale of a misfit whose oddity saves the day), and the colorful illustrations are engaging. show less

Prewitt's tail is such that it does not make him "proud as peacock" like the other birds in his flock. And things only get worse when his tail grows a scary-looking face instead of eyespots!

This book was in a similar vein to "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" -- Prewitt is mocked for not being like the other peacocks, but then his maligned differences are what save the day when disaster strikes. In some ways, it's a nice lesson for kids to learn (i.e., everyone being the same isn't necessarily good, and different doesn't necessarily mean bad), although it does have that same problem of the outsider being accepted by the mean bullies later with no repercussions for those bullies. I guess it's a lot of ask of a children's picture book that show more the others show a little more humility and ask for forgiveness rather than the bullied one to have to just feel happy to be included now.

The illustrations are neat, especially the monstrous face on Prewitt's tail, which is very nicely done. The pictures fit the text well. Because it is a little on the longer side, I would recommend this book for elementary school-age children rather than toddlers and preschoolers. show less

The Spooky Tail of Prewitt Peacock by Bill Peet is a blast from my past, re-introduced to me by my daughter by way of her second grade teacher. That's the funny thing about reading; book recommendations can come from anywhere and old forgotten favorites can resurface.

Prewitt Peacock is the least popular peacock among this ostentation. He has a scraggly tail that when unfolded makes a most unpleasant looking face. It's ugly and scary and not at all in keeping with the peacock way. So he gets teased and harassed and chased about.

That is until the nearby tiger finds a way to get to those tasty looking peafowl. And sure enough, Prewitt's tail is suddenly useful. It's a cute story that builds on the idea of making the best out of an show more unfortunate situation.

The story was included in my daughter's English text book. It's nice to see the older stories getting new life through inclusion in the text books. Better yet, I'm grateful our local public library has these books on hand so we can check out the full versions to read together. show less

Not verse, funny but not silly. I really love these fables about the 'differently abled.' And the surprise ending, which probably won't actually surprise anyone, is classic.

The other peacocks want Prewitt to move away, then they discover the benefits of his ferocious-looking tail.***SRC Quiz***