A Tiger Called Thomas - Hardcover

Charlotte Zolotow

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688066968 ISBN 13: 9780688066963

Publisher: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books, 1988

Synopsis

New to the neighborhood, Thomas is shy about making friends until he wears a tiger suit on Halloween.

About this title

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3 Shy Thomas thinks that no one in his new neighborhood will like him, so he just sits on his new porch and watches, instead of trying to make friendsuntil Halloween night. Dressed in his tiger outfit, Thomas makes his first foray into the new neighborhood, convinced that no one will recognize him, and returnssurprisedwith a whole passel of new friends. Granted, Zolotow's classic Halloween picture book may have been due for a facelift. Kurt Werth's illustrations for the 1963 editionpen-and-ink drawings washed in orange, gray, and greenseem a bit drab by today's standards. Certainly they appear dated, with mothers in dresses, high heels, and aprons; an old woman in black stockings, high collar, and brooch. Stock's watercolors for the new edition have a more contemporary look and are prettier, by far, with their soft lines, muted tones, and broader palette. Yet they seem quite lifeless next to Werth's flowing lines and vigorous compositions. There is enough movement, energy, and expression in Werth's interpretation to mask a rather cloying text, something that Stock's very static illustrations altogether fail to do. High heels and aprons notwithstanding, Werth's version is unlikely to be supplanted by Stock's, as long as it remains on library shelves. When the last copy is gone, accept no substitutes. Marcia Hupp, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, Conn.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. First published in 1963 with illustrations by Kurt Werth and reissued in 1988 with illustrations by Catherine Stock, this gentle story reappears with a few minor changes to the text and entirely new art. A shy little boy, Thomas is reluctant to meet his new neighbors, though he often watches them from his front stoop. When he dons a tiger costume for Halloween, Thomas feels bold enough to walk house to house and speak to people. He is surprised and happy to find that the neighbors recognize him and even seem to like him. Bluthenthal's stylized illustrations use geometrical shapes and watercolors, chalks, ink, and collage to create a new and varied setting. The immensely likable Thomas, whose brown skin and bald head give him a distinctive look inside the book, is delightfully portrayed as his tiger alter ego on the cover. A fresh interpretation of an old favorite. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0688066968
• ISBN 13: 9780688066963
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 30
• Illustrator: Catherine Stock, Robert Andrew Parker