This is a humorous story about a child whose repeated tattling affects his relationships and is followed by a striking tongue-related problem. Its central distinction is between unnecessary reports and warnings about matters that may require attention.
More about this book
“Josh the Tattler” doesn’t have any friends. He tattles on his classmates, on his brother, and even on his dog! He tattles so much that he wakes up one night to find that his tongue is yellow, unusually long, and covered in bright purple spots! Will a bad case of Tattle Tongue teach him a lesson? A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue gives teachers and counselors a humorous, cleverly creative way to address the time-consuming tattling-related issues that often sap classroom energy and thwart teaching opportunities. Parents who “battle the tattle” at home, on the playground, in the grocery store, or anywhere else, can use this book to both entertain and enlighten their children about “The Tattle Rules.” Every adult that desires to help children understand the differences between unnecessary tattling and the necessity of warning others about important matters needs this book!
The story centres on Josh repeatedly tattling and on learning to distinguish unnecessary tattling from warning about important matters.Exploratory / explanatoryExploratory / explanatory: the book explains or explores the subject without an established evaluative position.Exploratory / explanatory: the book explains or explores the subject without an established evaluative position.
How the book presents it: The book appears designed to clarify a practical social distinction rather than simply discourage all reporting.
Talk about: How clearly does it explain when a warning is necessary, and does it allow room for uncertainty?
Friendship and social consequences
Josh is described as having no friends because he tattles on people and even his dog.Provisional readingProvisional: the reviewed evidence does not establish how the book treats this theme. The evidence gap is listed under Confidence & Basis.Provisional: the reviewed evidence does not establish how the book treats this theme. The evidence gap is listed under Confidence & Basis.
Talk about: Does the story show a constructive way for Josh to repair relationships, if relationships are repaired?
Humour and bodily change
After tattling repeatedly, Josh wakes with a long, yellow, purple-spotted and itchy tongue.Provisional readingProvisional: the reviewed evidence does not establish how the book treats this theme. The evidence gap is listed under Confidence & Basis.Provisional: the reviewed evidence does not establish how the book treats this theme. The evidence gap is listed under Confidence & Basis.
Talk about: Is the tongue mainly comic, frightening, or a mixture for the child reading it?
✦
Why It May Be Worth Reading
It may give an adult and child a shared, playful way to examine when reporting something is unnecessary and when warning someone is important, while noticing how Josh’s behaviour affects his connections with others.
!
What Deserves Attention
The unusual tongue is described as long, yellow, purple-spotted and itchy. Josh’s social isolation is also part of the setup. A child who finds bodily transformation or rejection unsettling may benefit from pausing to discuss the humour.
↔
A Conversation Worth Having
What might make a report unnecessary, and what kinds of situations might call for a warning? How could someone decide what to do without assuming that every concern should be kept quiet?
◇
Reading Approach
Read it together and pause before the lesson is resolved. Invite the child to sort imagined situations into “tell”, “warn” or “pause and think”, then ask whether Josh’s tongue and friendships change by the ending.
Confidence & Basis
Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.
What remains unconfirmed
Reporting and responsibility: The specific “Tattle Rules”, examples and final lesson are not given.
Friendship and social consequences: The ending and any response from classmates, family or the dog are not described.
Humour and bodily change: The full scene, illustrations and resolution of the tongue problem are not available.
Book information
Limited information
Relevant to: Reporting and responsibility; Friendship and social consequences
Suitabook