Reading recommendations from our own Dr. Alice Mar
Happy New Year! Don’t worry, I’m not a month late…February ushered in the Lunar New Year in many Eastern countries. And in 2022 it also ushered in the Year of the Tiger. Enjoy these tiger themed books with your kids!
It’s a Tiger by David LaRochelle
This is a great book for toddlers or preschoolers. It starts with a little boy telling a story about monkeys. But wait a minute, that isn’t a monkey tail, it’s a tiger! The boy runs from the tiger only to find him pop up again and again on each page. There is just the right amount of repetition for little kids and they will love yelling “It’s a Tiger” at the right time on each page.
Oh, No! by Candace Fleming
Another great book for the very young with repetition, rhyming, and lots of animal sounds. One by one, forest animals fall into a deep deep hole, while a tiger sits beside the hole and watches and waits to pounce and enjoy a feast. The animals get rescued in the end when an elephant comes to their rescue and the tiger falls into the hole.
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
This book tells the story of a tiger who lives in a city where everyone is very proper. He is tired of fitting in and slowly starts to go wild. He runs away to the wilderness but misses his friends. In the end he returns to the city to find that the city is a little more wild than when he left. There is an obvious message about being yourself and embracing differences but it’s not too heavy-handed and kids will enjoy the simple clean illustrations and the silliness of Mr. Tiger in a top hat and tails.
The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr
The tiger in this book shows up at Sophie’s house and asks to stay for tea. The tiger tries to be very polite and well-mannered but doesn’t know all the rules and eats all the food in the house and even drinks all the water so she can’t take a bath. The family is welcoming and ultimately figures out a solution so that the tiger can enjoy tea with them in the future.
There’s a Tiger in the Garden by Lizzy Stewart
Nora is bored at her Grandma’s house and Nora is too old for Grandma’s silly games of magical giant dragonflies and tigers in the garden. They can’t really be there. Can they?
Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue
This story features a little girl who doesn’t want to fall asleep. Her parents gently guide her through the process of getting ready for bed as they assure her that every animal needs to sleep. Whales and bats and snails and tigers. The lovely surreal illustrations made this one a Caldecott Honor Book.
When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
For older kids, this wonderful chapter book featuring a tiger was the 2021 Newbery Medal Winner. In this retelling of a Korean folktale, a young girl makes a deal with a magical tiger in order to help save her sick grandmother.
Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright!: An Animal Poem or Each Day of the Year
This book is a wonderful compilation of animal poems, one for each day of the year.
And of course don’t forget some of the classic tigers from literature: Tigger from A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh stories, Shere Khan from The Jungle Book, and of course Hobbes from Calvin and Hobbes.
