An uplifting story of despair, hope and recovery

When a bouncy little squirrel named Hazel loses her tail, her dad decides to make her a new one. But first he has to venture out into the dark dangerous night to gather everything he needs... 

Inspired by a bedtime story the author made up to comfort his daughter, who underwent a series of operations when she was very small, this vibrant picture book celebrates both the extraordinary strength of children as they face life’s challenges, and the tireless devotion of their parents.With a touching father-daughter relationship at its heart, the story takes place in the Great Forest, a magical world teeming with colourful creatures and dazzling lollipop trees, beautifully brought to life by illustrator Alex Beeching. 

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RECENT CUSTOMER REVIEWS

A charming and colourful tale of Hazel the squirrel, and story of adventure, hope and the special bond between father and daughter. Beautifully illustrated, our toddler twin boys loved looking out for all the woodland animals and were captivated by Hazel’s wonderful new tail!

Jenny

Kent, UK

This is such a touching, ebullient and comforting book - I love it! It is sure to please children whether they are having to endure challenges comparable to your daughter’s or not…And the illustrations are such fun and so sprightly too.

Kate Kellaway

former children's book reviewer The Observer

A fun and beautifully illustrated story of Hazel the Squirrel and her ingenious Dad, who comes to her rescue when she most needs it. This is a really lovely book!

Ruth

Edinburgh, UK

A gloriously touching tale of adventure, despair, empathy and.. tails! & a real-life adventure of love and bravery to boot.
Reisz is a wonderful wordsmith and an inspiring father. This is the perfect Christmas gift.

Joe

Sweden

The book is amazing! My whole family loved the story. We loved the way it dealt with important issues and made good out of difficulty. We also thought the illustrations are spot on.

David

Sweden

We thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful story during bedtime reading recently. My daughter, who is 7, was engrossed and thoroughly impressed with this Tale! It is uplifting and colourful in every sense. We highly recommend it.

Oona

London, UK

My eight year old really enjoyed it and ended up reading himself the last half of the book. He is not a keen reader so this is pretty impressive! It’s a lovely story that can help you have a number of important conversations with a little one. Definitely recommend it.

Gemma

London, UK

“We needed something positive and joyful to cheer us up…”

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Why I wrote the book

I made up this story to lift our daughter's spirits after recovering from major surgery – and she loved it. The story evolved over time and I knew that finding the right illustrator would be crucial. I wanted to create a bedtime story everyone could enjoy, combining vibrant and detailed illustrations (by Alex Beeching) capturing children’s imagination with an important message for children (and their parents) when things go wrong.

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