Tiger Woman

When she refuses to share her food with a beggar, an old woman finds herself transformed into various animals, until she learns a lesson about greed

PreSchool-Grade 4?In this picture-book version of a Shantung folk song, a selfish old woman refuses to share her bean curd with a beggar, warning him that she is "...a tiger when famished." He replies that she will be what she says she is and departs. Soon after, she is transformed into a tiger. Pursued by a mob of soldiers, she undergoes subsequent transformations each time she encounters food. Finally, while in the form of a pig and about to be slaughtered, she spies a cube of bean curd and repents her greediness, thus returning to her human form. Yep's rollicking narrative, interspersed with couplets and verse, is smooth and crisp. He has an ear for rhythm and adds just enough detail to enhance the tale. Roth's watercolors mesh with the text, sprawling across each double-page spread. The paintings are full of motion, humor, and accurate detail. The expression on the old woman's face when she is restored is priceless: sorrowful and repentant, but a bit offended as well. Although the tale reads aloud well, it is a little too long for preschool story time. Read it one-on-one with younger listeners; older groups will love it.?Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster County Library, PA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This zesty retelling of a Shantung folktale is as expertly executed as Yep's (Tree of Dreams) previous picture books. When a beggar asks a selfish old woman for a bite of her bean curd, she replies, "I'm a tiger when I'm famished./ So begone, old beggar, vanish!" (All the dialogue here is rendered in rhyme.) In return, the beggar casts a spell to "be what you say you are," and the old woman indeed turns into a tiger. Chased by soldiers, the tiger woman snatches others' food as she misspeaks herself into an ox, a bird, an elephant and, finally, a sow. On the verge of becoming a pork roast, she repents and turns into a human who shares her food: "In kindness I've become a believer,/ since I faced the wrong end of the cleaver." This romp gathers even more energy from Roth's (Pearl Moscowitz's Last Stand) chaotic, paint-speckled watercolors. Full of color and motion, Roth's illustrations partner Yep's spirited storytelling for a rollicking good read. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.