Did you know we used to have tails that helped us connect to each other and the world around us? But then of course we lost our tails - or so the story goes - and now we need new ways to connect. In From Tails to Tales, best friends Huk and Tuk find a way to compensate for this loss. They discover that by discussing stories - or tales, if you like - they can recreate that deeper understanding of themselves, each other and the world, essential for feeling connected. Although the tales they discuss may seem simple, the complex questions they raise make them rewarding for adults and children to ponder together.

Maria teaches a "Philosophy with Children" program in underserved San Diego schools in partnership with the University of California, San Diego. In 1980, she attended Dr. Matthew Lipman's workshop on philosophy for children and later wrote her dissertation on philosophical counseling and teaching under the direction of Martin Buber scholar Dr. Maurice Friedman. She has publications in a number of inter-national journals. For Maria, philosophy is an art form, and she enjoys painting with ideas. Philosophy has helped her navigate the world in all its complexity, including having a multicultural background and having been raised in the US as well as in the Netherlands. She came back to the US to study and moved across the Atlantic multiple times.

Maria daVenza Tillmanns' profile page