Santa Barbara author Mary Hanson is a retired child’s librarian, and her experiences with children are evident in How to Save Your Tail*, a rollicking collection of fairy tales.

This collection will elicit laughs from the very first page — the family tree of our hero, Bob the rat, whose relatives include criminals, lawyers, a wool-spinner’s helper and ‘ordinary’ rats.

Bob is a unique rat because he loves to bake and he loves to read. Unfortunately, his love of reading is almost the end of him. As Bob ventures into the garden to peruse a book he spots left on a bench, he is assaulted by the castle cats that plan to eat him. Bob forestalls his fate by offering the cats his freshly baked cookies and a story. Intrigued, the cats agree.

What follows is a hilarious, slightly ironic retelling of classic fairy tales in which Bob’s eccentric relatives serve as heroes. Children familiar with the classics will be pleased with their ability to recognize the tales in their new form.

When the cats finally tire of Bob’s stories, Bob must find another way to escape being eaten. He bargains with the cats for one more night and then uses his knowledge of fairy tales to make a very creative escape.

How to Save Your Tail* is a beautifully illustrated beginning reader book suitable for children ages 6-9.