I'm a Tiger too (Single Titles)

Fitzpatrick, Marie-Louise

ISBN 10: 0761324100 ISBN 13: 9780761324102

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 2002

Synopsis

Friends can be found in all sorts of places, if your imagination is big enough-- in the yard, under the tree, by the pond. But as this handsome picture book shows, sometimes the best friend of all turns up when you least expect it.

About this title

About the Author

Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick is the author/illustrator of Lizzy and Skunk, an SLJ Best Book of the Year, and You, Me, and the Big Blue Sea. She lives in Ireland.

Review

Kirkus Reviews Energy and imagination reign from the Irish author-illustrator of Lizzie and Skunk. . . . The soft, clean watercolors limn each transformation gently. . . . The landscape shimmers from backyard to moonlit forest to ocean and back again in a perfect sense of pretend  Booklist Fitzpatrick’s lovely, splashy watercolors add volumes of meaning to a simple text.  School Library Journal  This charming story about the power of imagination and friendship opens with a young boy standing somewhat forlornly in his front yard near an obviously vacant house next door. . . .  Lovely bright watercolors amplify this simple yet universal tale that is an excellent choice for story times.  Publishers Weekly Fitzpatrick's luminous watercolors and just one to two sentences per page convey a thoughtful take on imagination, friendship and backyard adventure. The opening spread introduces the narrator standing against the brick wall that separates his house from one that's boarded up next door. "Hey, Mew!" he says to his cat, who is standing on the wall. "Are you a tiger? I'm a tiger too." A full-bleed illustration shows the boy and Mew lurking amidst ferns and tall grasses. Mew turns into a tiger; the boy sports stripes and fur (but retains his human characteristics). Framed vignettes on the next spread show the transformed pet running away. "Oh, don't go!" says the boy. "I don't want to be a tiger all alone." The pattern repeats as the boy imagines himself and his dog, Ruff, as wolves; he and Mr. Fish become a sailor and a dolphin in the backyard pond. A dramatic center spread of the forlorn boy standing against the imposing red brick signals the turning point: a series of four panels shows the boy peering over the wall, then opening its blue gate, to meet the new boy next door. The boy invites his new neighbor to play. "I'll be a tiger," he replies. "Then we'll be tigers two." Closing illustrations show the boys, both fully transformed, roaring and stomping through the grass.    

About this edition

• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0761324100
• ISBN 13: 9780761324102
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Fitzpatrick Marie-Louise