Harold's Tail

Harold's tail / written and illustrated by John Bemelmans Marciano. -- New York : Viking, c2003.
130 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
ISBN: 9780670036608

1. New York (N.Y.) – Fiction. 2. Rats – Fiction. 3. Squirrels – Fiction.

Harold’s tale starts in Strauss Park and then moves to Riverside Park and eventually all about Manhattan. Harold’s travels starts with a scheming rat named Sidney, who tricks Harold into shaving his tail. Sidney glues it on to his tail and moves in to Harold’s home in Strauss Park. And Harold finds himself homeless. With a bare un-bushy tail everyone takes Harold for a rat!

Harold’s plight and his trans-species culture shock turns into a multicultural experience when, having been rejected by both humans and his fellow squirrels, he’s taken in by a more magnanimous pack of rats and is taught the nocturnal art of garbage can foraging. Marciano tells a delightful tale with well defined lively characters.