X-Tails: Books with Adventure

Action. Adventure. Extreme sports. Lessons in perseverance, inclusion, how to combat bullying, and more. This is what the X-Tails book series is all about.

Introducing the X-Tails team – a set of 6 animal characters: Wisdom, the lion who is the team leader. Charm the Kangaroo. Crash the Hippo. Flight the Gorilla. Dazzle the Bear. Mischief the (slightly short) Wolf. Together, in their X-Van, they love to go out and have big adventures such as surfing, BMX biking, skiing, and skateboarding.

Each of the books has a theme to help kids grasp the importance of subjects like sportsmanship, understanding different abilities, and persevering.

I had the opportunity to check out 3 of the books from the series, written by B.C. author, L.A. Fielding. They are full colour, oversized picture books with lots of words and action. Even some of the words are written in oversized, colourful font – making them stand out and make things more exciting (and possibly loud!)

What I really enjoyed about these books are that the characters are personable and likable. You can really relate to their feelings and experiences. For example, in one of the books – the kangaroo breaks her arm and is really sad because now she can’t ride her bike while it heals. I think any kid who has broken their arm and can’t do their favourite activities can totally relate to her feelings.

I appreciate, too, that each book touches on safety. Since the characters are heading into very extreme activities, it’s encouraging to see them putting on their safety gear like helmets and lifejackets. Seeing their character role-models doing the same things they are told are important kind of adds an extra sense of importance and normality for kids.

Throughout their adventures, many of the X-Tails complete some pretty complex tricks that are associated with that sport. Ever heard of a Superman, a Sushi Roll, or a Three-Sixty Double Nose Grab? That’s ok – the back of each book has a “Trick-tionary” which is a glossary of all the tricks mentioned (and maybe even some extras!)

I think L.A. Fielding has a great idea here. Combining children’s natural interests in extreme activities with teaching lessons is a unique way to get them listening and excited.

So far, there are 5 books in the main series, with more on the way:

• The X-Tails BMX at Thunder Track
• The X-Tails Surf at Shark Bay
• The X-Tails Ski at Spider Ridge
• The X-tails Snowboard at Shred Park
• The X-tails Skateboard at Monster Ramp

You can choose to get the books in either paperback or hard cover, but also as ebooks for your Kindle, Kobo, or even your iPad reader.

They also have a special board book for toddlers: The X-tails Travel to the Jamboree Jam, which teaches about friendship and other common themes for youngsters like colours and rhymes.

Be sure to check out all the X-Tails books at their website.