A TAIL BETWEEN TWO CITIES. von Konigslow, Andrea Wayne. Toronto, Annick Press, 1987. unpaged, paper, ISBN 0-920303-95-1 (cloth) $12.95, 0-920303-94-3 (paper) $4.95. Distributed by Firefly Books. CIP Kindergarten to Grade 2 Reviewed by Patricia Fry Volume 16 Number 3 1988 May A Tail Between Two Cities is not a take-off on a classic. This "tail" is the tale of a huge imaginary cat that entertains the children who share a particular playground. On the first day of summer vacation, the children from the city on the hill and from the city in the valley discover an enormous furry tail in the middle of the park between their cities. They join forces to follow the tail, discover the cat that only they are able to see, try to feed the silent animal, and finally give it a (farewell) party. The school bell rings in the arrival of autumn classes and the cat thereupon disappears as mysteriously as it first appeared. The last page shows the feline sleeping contentedly on the moon. This story is written and illustrated by Andrea Wayne von Konigslow. The illustrations are charming in their detail and colour. One cannot help but pause to notice a particular sand castle, a certain expression on a child's face, the assortment of wheeled vehicles the children have, the use of the colour pink. But these drawings deserve a better story. This one is, in a word, boring: the children find an unusual cai, nothing much happens, life returns to normal. 1 kept waiting for the story to start. In spite of a lot of potential, this "tail" never got off the ground. Finally, ihe book is too wordy for the reader group it targets, and in spite of the interesting illustrations, the young listener's attention wanders before the page is turned. Not recommended. Patricia Fry, Toronto, Ont.