I Am a Tiger

July 1, 2019

PreS-Gr 1-Though the other animals he encounters insist he is not big enough, stripy enough, or a good enough climber to be a tiger, Mouse confidently maintains that he is a tiger and, furthermore, that the tiger's "twitchy nose" and "little hands and feet" make the tiger a mouse. Likewise the raccoon, fox, snake, and bird's features are akin to balloons and bananas. The outlook provides a good opportunity to more closely examine the familiar creatures in the illustrations. In the end, Mouse has a change of heart and decides with his teeth, claws, and tail, he is actually a crocodile. The illustrations accentuate the animal characters with expressive faces and engaging postures against backgrounds primarily made up of solid color. Mouse's voice is shown in a blocky, sans serif font, while the other characters' voices are shown in a serif font. The tiger's voice goes from a dense block print to the serif font of the other animals once Mouse makes his argument that the tiger is also a mouse. The sentences are short and simple, making an amusing read-aloud for young children or early elementary students. VERDICT A humorous animal tale that offers an unexpected perspective.-Kelly Topita, Anne Arundel County Public Library, MD

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Starred review from June 1, 2019
This mouse has moxie. The titular "tiger" of Newson and Collins' imaginative tale may have been born a mouse, but it's a mouse made up of equal parts imagination and chutzpah. As the story begins, the unnamed, ungendered mouse proclaims proudly: "I am a tiger." As a series of woodland animals begin to argue with the mouse, its claims of tigerhood grow more and more outlandish (and more humorous). When the expected tiger makes its appearance, the mouse doesn't bat an eye as it declares, "You're not a tiger. You're a mouse!" And so begins the second half of the book as the mouse uses its zany logic to define the other animals in the story. The conclusion is open-ended, and readers hungry for more will extend the silliness on their own and hope for a sequel. Newson's fearless tone and Collins' humorous illustrations are a winning combination. The bold cartoons, set against bright, solid-colored backgrounds, are vibrant enough to be seen from the back of the classroom or storyhour room, and the expressions of each animal will definitely inspire rounds of giggles. Fans of David LaRochelle and Mike Wohnoutka's Moo! (2013) and Kevin Sherry's I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean (2007) will add this title to their list of favorites. This is one terrific book. (Picture book. 5-8)

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Starred review from May 27, 2019
This readaloud puts a jaunty spin on a timeless, kid-snaring trope: mistaken self-identity. A mouse insists it’s a tiger, despite the discrepancy in the two species’ size and behaviors, and it refuses to back down, even when a raccoon protests that a tiger is bigger and “has a bit more GRRRR!” (“Tigers can be small too. GRRRR!” responds the mouse), and a fox asserts that a tiger has stripes (“Some do. This one doesn’t. So there”). The staccato narrative by Newson (The Mess Monster) and bold, closely focused art from Collins (What Does an Anteater Eat?) are wryly attuned: when a tiger suddenly steps onto the scene, loudly contesting the mouse’s claim, the mouse wags its tiny finger at the newcomer and dismissively alleges, “Ha ha ha! You’re not a tiger. You’re a mouse!” The tiger’s confidence visibly flags when the mouse points out the big cat’s “tiny, twitchy nose” and “little hands and feet,” then cleverly and absurdly misidentifies the story’s other critters before justifying an abrupt departure (“my lunch won’t catch itself!”). Kids will roar along as they chime in to refute the mouse’s droll deceptions. Ages 3–5.