I loved the illustrations in this book! They are beautiful. Unfortunately, the story itself wasn’t my favorite. The message is good - don’t be afraid to try new things - but the story itself didn’t do a very good job of getting to that point. I wish it flowed better from Tali being afraid of falling, the chicken/toucan breaking into his room, and finally deciding to join the dojo. It felt disjointed.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A great story for kids about how to treat animals and that we can all make a difference if we try.

Children, and even us adults, struggle when it comes to facing our fears. This adorable story shows little ones that they can face their fears. It is about Tali who wants to be part of the things the other kids are doing, like in the aikido dojo. She is afraid to be brave and go for it. When she dreams she is fearless, when she wakes up she is still afraid to try. When a surprise visit from a new friend comes in her dreams to show her how to be brave when she is awake things can change for her. I am in love with this little story. I love how encouraging this story is. The illustrations are so colorful and bright. They really bring an added magic to the story. Your family will love to share this encouraging story about finding your own bravery. We reviewed an ebook ARC and can’t wait to add to our collection.

Tali is scared to try gymnastics or martial arts because he is afraid of falling. But when a toucan appears in his dreams and shows him how to fly, he overcomes his fears and decides to try martial arts after all. I liked the message of trying new things, overcoming fear of the unknown, and trying new things. I appreciated the ending that revealed the whole premise was based on a pun ;-)

Children can be full of anxieties. Tali longs to join her active friends as she looks on and sees them tumble, roll and flip in the playground, gymnastics and martial arts classes. But she is scared of falling. Her fears are magnified into earth shattering terror. Each night she has nightmares and each morning she awakens in fear. But one night she dreams of a chicken who breaks through her skylight and magically becomes a toucan. Tali grows wings and learns to fly. When she awakens, the chicken is gone, the toucan has flown to freedom and Tali is free from her fears. The illustrations by Chantelle and Burgen Thorne are absolutely stunning. The dreams are ureteral, and the pictures reinforce the analogies. Her first nightmare shows shattering glass, because she is afraid of falling apart. Tali considers herself a chicken. In a later dream, when the chicken pecks through the skylight, the glass shatters again. But this time, it represents her breaking through her issues. The chicken becomes the toucan who teaches her to take flight. The toucan is subtly foreshadowed in early illustrations as a small decoration on a passerby's purse and later as a mural near the dojo. Tali has beautiful feathered wings in her dream and later in the day the reader can see the imaginary wings on this newly brave you girl. Readers may notice that the illustrations also occasionally include a mystical hamsa symbol. The hand of Miriam in Judaism or Hand of Fatima in Islam represents protection from evil and all negative energies. But Tali doesn't need any magical help, she can dispell her negative energies herself. Told in the first person, with no other characters, there is no one to discount or validate her fears. She has worked out her fears for herself and realizes that she too can do the activities she was afraid of. In the end, Tali realizes that she "TOO CAN"do things. This toucan pun will help little ones grasp the story and remember the message. The book is great for parents, teachers or therapists who wish to help children deal with their fears. Any child would love Tali's story and hopefully recall it when they have new fears.

The art is cute, but I like that it talks about anxiety in a way that is relatable. I have heard these exact fears from my kids. The only thing I question about this book is the magic cure-all ending. I don't know how much it would have helped my kids since fear was magically cured. But it does give the feeling that they are not alone.

4 stars

This story is a tad bit nonsensical. It starts with Tali being afraid of everything. Too afraid of falling to join gymnastics or taekwondo. She dreams she can do more but is frightened in her dreams. Halfway through the book a toucan breaks through the window, and Tali learns she can do things. There is no flow to this book, and I wish the story was better. However, the illustrations are amazing. the illustrator took what little they were given and made this comparison of being scared to being broken or shattered. It plays into the chicken, shattering the window and becoming a toucan in the end, but it just works so well. The illustrators are giving a master class, why the author is still in grade school.

Tali And The Toucan is a children’s story about a young girl being fearful and holding back her actions. I loved the idea behind this book and the general message was ideal for children.

Facing your fears can be such a nerve-wrecking experience, but I generally believe this story expressed the outcome in such a positive and meaningful way. It’s a great story to read to younger readers.

🦜 🌸 🦜 🌸 🦜 🌸 🦜 🌸 🦜 🌸 🦜 🌸

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with access to read this book!

This was such a great picture book of finding confidence and ability to push past fears to do the things you want. I loved the art and I loved Tali’s story so much.

The premise of the book was great, but it fell flat for me. The artwork was wonderful and a big plus for this story. The writing was ok but I had so many questions. Why was this little girl seemingly afraid of everything? Was there an incident when she was younger? Where were her parents to answer questions about her fears. Why was the bird a toucan or a chicken. Why not a meeker bird and a bolder one such as an eagle. I’m sad because this story could have been so much more if questions were not left hanging. I do love the idea of being bold and brave, but I also don’t know why it was a dream that brought her to become that person. What I can say, I read books for my students to engage with and because there are so many unanswered questions, this could be a source of active discussion about their ideas. They could also rewrite the story to fit their own needs.

“Once I was chicken - but now I too can!”

Tali is a young girl experiencing anxiety. She sees other kids doing cool things, like flips and cartwheels and wants to experience that too - but she’s afraid she will fall and crack into a million pieces.

One night, Tali dreams about a flock of chickens in a storm. One chicken is on the roof of a house, trying to peck through a window to get away from the storm. The chicken pecks through, and upon emerging into the house, transforms into a toucan! Based on this dream, Tali decides that she “too can” face her fears.

What I really liked about this book was that Tali overcame her fears on her own. I noticed the absence of family and friends encouraging her to get over her fears, or that if she tries hard enough, she can do it. Tali had to dig deep into herself to find endurance, bravery and strength to overcome her own fears, on her own timeline, simply because she wanted to - not because other people were telling her to.

A great book!

The illustrations in this book are absolutely beautiful and kept me captivated throughout the whole story-they are very detailed and beautiful and were my favorite part. Also appreciated the diversity in the children pictured. It’s a cute story about persevering through fear and I think many children will be able to relate to being afraid to try something for fear of being hurt/failure. 3.5 stars!

A poignant, inspiring and gorgeously illustrated tale about a young girl beset by anxiety, until a toucan comes into her dreams at night and teaches her to soar with courage. Highly recommended!

Absolutely brilliantly conveyed message. Appreciated how Tali recognized her fears/anxieties and that they were hindering her from making progress. Also loved the message of the chicken changing into a toucan and being able to evolve and take charge of adventure.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was a cute story. I really enjoyed the illustrations. Even better, I really enjoy when children's books aren't just full of fluff or entertainment, but they teach the next generation valuable and important lessons. Definitely recommend you pick this book up for a child in your life!

Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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i thought this was a super cute book. the illustrations and the art are absolutely stunning and the story is very important. tali learns to face her fears and be brave, and i think this book could be helpful to any kids with similar feelings.

Tali and the Toucan is a great picture book about fear and working through negative thoughts. Kids of all ages can learn from this book and find the courage to do the things they fear. Great read aloud for any classroom.

Tali is scared but there are so many things that look so fun! In her dreams, she soars, leaps and flies but when she sees the other kids doing gymnastics or martial arts, all she can think about is how she might fall or get hurt. Then she has a dream about a toucan that changes everything!

The gorgeous illustrations felt immersive and conveyed the colorful multicultural beauty of San Francisco in a way that had me missing The City. The dream sequences were vivid and I loved using them to guide conversations about fear, confidence and self-esteem with the youngsters in my life. This story was very sweet and I appreciated Tali’s journey figuring out how she could try something she was afraid of doing!

Highly recommend this beautiful book. Definitely a must read for anyone who is regularly interacting with children!

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-copy of Tali and the Toucan by Mira Z. Amiras.

Great book showing our kids that even if they are chicken, they just need to try and will be able to do things they didn't think they could.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the copy of the ARC.

A good story of trying new things and being brave. The illustrations were great and I think would be captivating for a child. I would red to my child