It's a Tiger!

by David LaRochelle, Jeremy Tankard (Illustrator)

Overview

Kids and parents alike will rejoice in this lively read-aloud picture book, as the main character runs into (and away from) a tiger over and over again as the plot gets sillier and sillier. Perfect for acting out while reading, It's a Tiger! offers just the right amount of excitement without being too scary, and a sweet ending with a bit of a twist. Plus, this version includes audio and a read-along setting.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452122038
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	08/10/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	36
File size:	9 MB
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

David LaRochelle is the author of many books for young people. He lives in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, where there are neither bears nor tigers. You can find out more about David and his books at www.davidlarochelle.com.
Jeremy Tankard is the author and illustrator of wonderful and silly books for children. He grew up in South Africa, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Canada. He currently resides in Toronto.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A boon to creative minds everywhere and a participatory storytime winner" - School Library Journal, starred review

"They'll love the repeated joke and the boy's startled face as he encounters the tiger in more and more ridiculous places." - GeekDad

"There will be shouts, giggles, and exclamations" - SavvyAuntie.com

"The colorful ink and digital images bring this picture book alive for listeners." - Library Media Connection

"The all-around best readaloud of the year, bar none as far as I can tell, has got to be It's a Tiger! " - Elizaebeth Bird, A Fuse#8 Production/School Library Journal blog

"It's a tiger, and it's sure to be a hit. " - Kirkus Reviews

"Bouncy prose with vivid illustrations" - The Wall Street Journal

"An exciting reversal of hide-and-seek'" - Booklist

"A very funny book that's guaranteed to entertain little ones." - BookingMama

"A popular storytime pick. " - Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

Tankard's (Piggy Bunny) artwork adds splash and color to this mock-suspense tale from LaRochelle (The Haunted Hamburger and Other Ghostly Stories), outlining the characters with heavy ink strokes and tinting them with brilliant jewel tones that make them look as if they were painted on glass or film. "Are you ready for a story? Me too," the narrator starts, as a boy in a blue jacket stands in for the narrator/reader "we." The Boy negotiates a series of Indiana Jones–style threats (tiptoeing past snakes, swinging across a canyon) only to find a tiger lurking after each page turn—which he always escapes in the knick of time. "Good thing we landed someplace soft. A bed of flowers?... A giant orange-and-black pillow? No, we landed on top of... a tiger!" No matter how scary the circumstances, the deadpan narrative voice reassures children that it's just a story, and the tiger's zigzag teeth and soft features imply that he might not be all that dangerous. The repetitive structure, action, frights, and surprise ending should make this a popular storytime pick. Ages 2–6. Illustrator's agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"An exciting reversal of hide-and-seek'" - Booklist"

They'll love the repeated joke and the boy's startled face as he encounters the tiger in more and more ridiculous places." - GeekDad"

There will be shouts, giggles, and exclamations" - SavvyAuntie.com"

The colorful ink and digital images bring this picture book alive for listeners." - Library Media Connection"

The all-around best readaloud of the year, bar none as far as I can tell, has got to be It's a Tiger! " - Elizaebeth Bird, A Fuse#8 Production/School Library Journal blog"

It's a tiger, and it's sure to be a hit. " - Kirkus Reviews"

Bouncy prose with vivid illustrations" - The Wall Street Journal"

A boon to creative minds everywhere and a participatory storytime winner" - School Library Journal, starred review"

A very funny book that's guaranteed to entertain little ones." - BookingMama"

A popular storytime pick. " - Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

A child in the jungle begins to tell a story about monkeys swinging in the vines when suddenly he spies a fuzzy orange and black striped tail. When the tail is attached to a tiger, the child screams and runs from the jungle into a cave where he encounters the tiger again. "Run!" he yells and escapes into the sunshine and a pit of snakes. Among the snakes is one striped orange and black. You guessed it—"A tiger!" The child runs from jungle to cave to pit to flower bed to ship to treasure chest always colliding with the tiger. Although the child fears the tiger wants to eat him, he discovers that the not-very-ferocious animal just wants his ears scratched and his belly rubbed and an exciting bedtime story. So the boy tells the tiger a story set in the jungle where the monkeys swing in the vines. Suddenly he spies a thick green tail and screams that it looks like a "Crocodile!" This delightful story is an ideal read-along, play-along tale of a frightfully funny tail. Small children and adults will love this colorful ink and digital media picture book. Reviewer: Krisan Murphy

Children's Literature - Krisan Murphy

PreS-K—Young imaginations will run wild with this story within a story of a young boy who escapes from a tiger over and over again in various outrageous land- and seascapes. Tankard's bold black lines, created with ink and digital media, frame the cartoonlike characters and allow the tiger's stripes to stand out strikingly when viewed from a storytime circle. Children will enjoy trying to spot the tiger's tail, which is often camouflaged within the background scenery, while the protagonist regularly shouts, "A TIGER!" displayed in large-type font. Teachers can use this book to lead their listening audiences in re-creating the boy's actions as he sometimes creeps and crawls, yet at other times he boldly races to the surprising conclusion. This tale will be a boon to creative minds everywhere and a participatory storytime winner.—Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

School Library Journal

This metafictive romp follows a child who encounters, flees from and then befriends a tiger. The protagonist's direct address and gaze immediately engage readers with the question, "Are you ready for a story?" Ensuing pages deliver a hide-and-seek narrative as the child spies: a tiger's tail amid swinging monkeys; its shadow hidden in a bat cave; its tail hidden among slithering snakes; and its body camouflaged by flowers. The tiger seems less than fearsome, but the child nevertheless flees when it appears disguised as a ship's captain, and again when it emerges with a roar from a treasure chest. But, lo and behold, the tiger isn't roaring after all; it's only yawning. "If we scratch his ears and rub his belly, maybe he'll go to sleep," the child says. "Better yet, let's tell him a story." A page turn finds the child back at the opening scene with the monkeys to start the story again. This time, however, a crocodile tail (rather than the initial scene's tiger tail) hangs from above, delivering a punch line that promises another race through the jungle, if a rather obvious quasi-resolution. Throughout, Tankard's vibrant ink and digitally rendered illustrations express the excitement and fun of the story, elevating the exuberant text to ideal storytime fare. It's a tiger, and it's sure to be a hit. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews