Review of "Tailless Trials: Sammy’s Voyage to a New Home" by Debra Siraco, Zareen Wilhelm

​Score: 93+/100 (9.3+ out of 10)

Tailless Trials: Sammy’s Voyage to a New Home follows Sammy, a special-needs cat with no tail and unusually long back legs. Based on a true story, Sammy begins life on a reservation in the deserts of the American Southwest, where his differences set him apart from his siblings and make him feel unwanted. One day, he is taken away in a truck and brought to an animal shelter, where he becomes frightened, confused, and worried that he has been abandoned.

The illustrations really capture Sammy's expressions of terror and uncertainty. The scene in which he's put in a cage for the first time is especially unsettling. It's hard not to feel for Sammy as he endures these circumstances.

Sammy meets Tangerine, a kind rescuer who takes him on a long journey with other animals (many of them quite exotic like an elephant and giraffe). Their voyage becomes a colorful cross-country adventure through the Grand Canyon, White Sands, Oklahoma prairies, ghost towns, lively towns, crowded city streets, and finally to a green farm. There, Sammy discovers that he has not been discarded. He has been rescued. He joins a new family of animals who are also different, also displaced, and also looking for safety. By the end, Sammy finds space to stretch his long legs, accepts his role as a barn cat, and finally feels at home.

Their voyage actually reminded us a lot of Never's journey in The Original Human Beings, which is the story of an immigrant. Sammy is a bit of an immigrant too, in a sense, and an orphan. He has been rescued and given a much happier new life full of hope, love, and kindness like Chrissy from Finding Chrissy by Crystal Hoban, Lucky from Lucky's Adventure by Elizabeth Macy, and Abbey Rose from Puppy Comes Home by Diane Capogna.

Sammy having a different physiology also reminded us of Ruby, the cat from Angeli Fitch's children's books.

If you love books like this in which a lovely animal is discovered and given a home, you might really love this book.

The illustrations by Chase Americana are stylish, unique, and above-average, we'd say. The backgrounds and scenery are especially nice.

We also talked about how expressive the characters are. With that said, we did kinda wonder why on earth Tangerine is blue and ends up looking like Mystique from X-Men. Maybe it's to help her stand out? Or maybe it's to show her as representing all of us, like being a being made of water, which is the basis of all life? Also, why on earth is Tangerine traveling in a vehicle with a giraffe, an elephant, ostrich, zebra, and other exotic animals? Is that legal? Is she like a human horder or something? Is it legal to own these kinds of animals? She brings them all to a farm with camels, rabbits, pigs, raccoons, alligators, llamas, and stuff. Like, they all coexist and don't trample and eat each other? They don't smell? How can she afford this? Is she a millionaire?

Also, Tangerine is depicted like a giant on page 15. She's bigger than the camel or the elephant and taller than the giraffe! What's going on?

Well, it is kinda cute and cool to see the elephant and giraffe doing yoga stretches.

And who doesn't dream about hanging out or living with a bunch of cute, cuddly, incredible animals?

One major strength of this book is the simplicity of the language and writing. It's really easy to read and get through, especially with children.

Check it out here!