I am a Tiger

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The bold little mouse declares "I am a tiger" and manages to convince a raccoon, a fox, a snake and a bird not only that this is true, but that theyare not what they think they are. When a real tiger turns up, can the persuasive and fearless little rodent manage to persuade the tiger that heis the mouse? But what will Mouse say when an actual tiger appears? Mouse has an excellent answer: Tiger is not a tiger; Tiger is a mouse! Twitchy nose, little hands and feet, cheese for breakfast: yup, definitely a mouse. And Mouse has some interesting descriptions for the other animals too… If your child loves this cheeky story of a confident mouse who believes in himself, no matter what anyone else says, here are some other books to try…

A tiny mouse declares that he is a tiger, resisting all of the other animals' efforts to convince him otherwise. When a real tiger shows up, the mouse is not dismayed, still insisting on his own tigrine identity, and declaring that the tiger is actually a mouse. Then, coming to a local pond (or river?), the mouse decides he is a crocodile instead... I am a tiger,” declares the main character of this story – although anyone looking at the pictures would probably say they are actually a mouse. For picture books featuring tigers, look no further than Timothy Knapman and Laura Hughes’ Goodnight Tigerin which a little girl tries her hardest to get a herd of jungle animals to sleep; in Tiger in a Tutuby Fabi Santiago, Max the tiger desperately wants to be a ballerina – but can he do it? In Lizzy Stewart’s There’s A Tiger in the GardenNora comes face t face with a friendly tiger in Grandma’s garden, and, of course, we can’t forget Judith Kerr’s classic The Tiger That Came to Tea, in which a tiger turns up unannounced one day and eats all the food in the house. Newson’s writing is brisk and bright. Done entirely in dialogue, this book begs to be shared aloud with children. Children will love the confident little mouse and his ability to make ludicrous claims and stand by them. Mouse is a great character, becoming all the more interesting when he discovers he isn’t really a tiger after all. The twist at the end is a delight that doesn’t discourage Mouse in the least. The illustrations by Collins are large and colorful. They help tell the full story of what is happening and carry a lot of the humor too.

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There isn't an awful lot of action in the story but there doesn't need to be. Mouse's muddled musings hold us and all the other characters to attention, keeping us delightfully entertained. The story has a fun, nonsensical feel to it and stands out in originality and imagination. Last, other picture books that reassure children that they can be exactly who they want to be include the modern classic Julian is a Mermaidby Jessica Love, in which Julian expresses himself by wearing a fantastic costume; in Fred Gets Dressedby Peter Brown, a little boy plays dress up in his parents’ bedroom and in A Fox Called Herbert by Margaret Sturton, Herbert the rabbit loves foxes and does everything he can to become more fox-like. Newson's fearless tone and Collins' humorous illustrations are a winning combination.This is one terrific book.” Kirkus Clever mice are a theme in Ross Collins’ There’s a Mouse in My Housein which a colony of mice take over a bear’s house with chaotic, but ultimately positive, results. In A Mouse Called Julianby Joe Todd-Stanton, Julian the mouse is a clever and solitary mouse that likes his own company, and in Hermelin, The Detective Mouseby Mini Grey, brainy Hermelin saves Baby McMumbo’s life, much to the surprise of the local townsfolk. For terrific tigers...

From earliest childhood, Lila Greer, the youngest of five in a single-dad household, has been a worrier. Then the family moves. Entering second grade feels overwhelming: Nothing’s familiar, and she has no friends. But Ms. Kern, Lila’s new teacher, invites Lila to erase the chalkboard at recess and to articulate her fears. It helps that someone listens. Soon, classmates get into the act, and lonely Lila makes friends, emerges from her shell, and learns that “what ifs” have positive sides. Lila grows up, still fretting sometimes, and then becomes a new teacher who worries upon meeting her own students. But then she remembers the teacher who helped her overcome her fears and doubts years earlier. What was that marvelous, ineffable quality Ms. Kern possessed? Then Lila remembers: It was kindness! Harnessing that memory, Lila now welcomes her own “smiling young faces.” This is a sweet story that emphasizes good cheer, helpfulness, and the importance of feeling welcome and heard, no matter who you are: terrific messages, expressed in bouncy verses that scan well. The illustrations are colorfully lively. Readers will appreciate occasional displays of humorous and quirky typesetting creativity and will admire Lila’s poufy topknot, which resembles a huge ball of yarn. Lila is light-skinned, Ms. Kern is tan-skinned, and other characters are diverse. In 2021, our Time to Read book – which will be given to every Reception-aged child in England and Wales - is I Am A Tigerby Karl Newson and Ross Collins. Mouse is convinced she/he is a tiger. Everyone else is not so sure but mouse is! She knows exactly who everyone is...even tiger...and she can do all things tigers can... A very confident little mouse declares that he is actually a tiger. The other animals don’t believe him at first, but he manages to demonstrate that he can growl like a tiger, climb trees like a tiger and even hunt for his lunch. When a real tiger comes along, the mouse declares that the tiger is a mouse! After all, the tiger has a twitchy nose, little hands and feet, and probably ate cheese recently. Mouse continues to show that he has all sorts of tiger-like skills. The defeated real tiger asks then what the other animals are and Mouse gives them all sorts of new identities, including a banana and a balloon. When Mouse leaves and gets a glimpse of himself in the water though, he realizes that he isn’t a tiger after all. Maybe he still isn’t a mouse either?

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You might like to try some other new funny picture books – Bathe the Catby Alice B. McGinty and David Roberts is a brilliant new book about a family desperately trying to tidy up before visitors arrive, and Beach’s The Dragon With the Blazing Bottom: A Very Fiery Fairy Talefeatures a dragon that loses his fire, until a friendly knight suggests some spicy food. Last, in When Cucumber Lost His Coolby Michelle Robinson and Tom Knight, a cool cucumber feels cross, but his friends are there to help him chillax. For being your brilliant self... You can’t be a tiger, the other animals say, tigers are bigger, they have more Grrrr, they have stripes, and they can climb trees. Mouse is not to be deterred, however: Mouse is a tiger. Mouse says tigers can be small; some have stripes but this one doesn’t (“so there”); and Mouse could definitely climb a tree (but not right now). Want to make a four year old belly laugh? How about reading Karl Newson's 'I am a Tiger'. Of course, it make not work for every four year old but mouse...er, I mean tiger...has such an amusing personality that it's definitely worth a meet and greet. Guaranteed giggles galore in Karl Newson and Ross Collin’s superb piece of picture book theatre” Red Reading Hub