AXOLOTL, WHERE'S YOUR TOE?

An axolotl yearns to see more of the world in Tatchell’s latest rhyming illustrated children’s book in her Endangered and Misunderstood series about rare animals.

Axol’s grown bored living with the other axolotls in undersea darkness. When he tells them of his dream to see the sun, they say there’s “not a drop of brave” in any axolotl. Axol is undeterred: “If there’s no brave at all in us / I’ll start with just one toe. / And do small things to fill it up / to help our courage grow.” As he emerges into daylight, he meets a blue-capped hummingbird who offers to show him the world. Together, they meet a chicken and goose having tea, then encounter boats passing by, playing music. As he’s about to dive back into the water, he sees a human family on the shore. The hummingbird warns him to be wary, but, feeling brave, Axol gets closer—until a boy picks him up by the foot; the axolotl escapes by leaving his toe behind. He returns to the other axolotls feeling that he wasn’t brave after all, but they’re all impressed and reassure him his toe will grow back. He realizes that “his brave is like his toe. / The scare that made him think it lost, / has really made it grow.” The book concludes with engaging facts about axolotls and blue-capped hummingbirds, as well as ways to help protect them, and diagrams for drawing them. It’s possible that a few young, literal-minded axolotl lovers may bristle at the unrealistic setting, which features top hat wearing amphibians, among other imaginary elements. However, Sulima’s soft pastel illustrations are lush and richly detailed on every page; an image of Axol’s face breaking the surface of the sunlit pond as it ripples around him is especially lovely. Tatchell tells the story in rhymed quatrains, and although younger readers may struggle with the large amount of text, the rhyme and meter are lively, making the book a treat to read aloud.

A fun and fantastical tale about an endangered amphibian.