Shibu’s Tail

Shibu’s Tail by Tess Thomas. Illustrated by Kamwei Fong. Allen and Unwin 2025. PB RRP $24.99. ISBN 9781761182525

Reviewed by Debra Williams

Shibu is a cat who uses his large and demonstrative tail to express his feelings. When he starts to feel judged by the other cats (who are not so expressive), he must decide for himself whether those big feelings are okay. Shibu decides to stop expressing himself so that he won’t stand out and tries to contain his expressions and tail. However, that creates its own set of problems.

This is a tale about a tail and a cat with some very big feelings. It is a picture book about the joy and importance of being yourself. Through Fong’s toned-down greyscale artwork, Shibu is shown to experience a myriad of feelings from boredom to confusion to playfulness and sickness, plus many more. Shibu becomes mad after breaking his favourite toy and trying to hold his anger in. During a lightning storm, he pretends that everything is okay, but becomes more worried and scared by not sharing his feelings. Eventually, every feeling he has held back explodes, and he realises that all sorts of feelings are meant for sharing.

Tess Thomas is a writer living in New Jersey, USA. She has been storytelling since the age of 4.

Recommended for children aged 4-8 years.