There's a Tiger in the Garden by Lizzy Stewart
| There's a Tiger in the Garden by Lizzy Stewart | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Lorraine McDonald
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| Summary: When sharp-witted Nora complains she is bored, Grandma sends her out in to the garden. Here she encounters an increasingly bizarre range of wildlife and learns a lesson about imagination. Slightly surreal and sumptuously illustrated, this story is a pleasure to return to for multiple reads. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 40 | Date: April 2016 |
| Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1847808066 | |
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Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2017: llustrated Books
Though it's said that you should never judge a book by a cover, the front of 'There's a Tiger in the Garden' gives cause to linger. Here is a taste of the splendid illustrations to come – verdant foliage, iridescent dragonflies, and, of course, a bright orange tiger. Should you not be convinced to pick it up by the visuals alone, the gorgeous embossing adds a further dimension. Lovely pop-out richness you can feel. What a great start.
Inside the lovely illustrations continue. The characters are painted pitch perfect. Nora, a shrewd, and perhaps even shrew-y, girl is depicted with a bob as sharply angular as her mind and manner. For a little girl she has a cynical nature and querying mind. No wonder Grandma seems keen for her to play outside. The tiger is more of a cool character with a wry smile and a casual gait. As for the grumpy polar – well, I suppose that one was always going to be easy.
The theme of this tale is imagination. Where it can take you and the joy that it brings. When Nora complains about being bored Grandma tells her to look for the tiger in the garden. Nora scoffs. She is too old to be taken in by tall tales. None the less, out she goes and makes some strange discoveries. – toy eating plants, dragonflies as big as birds, a very grumpy polar bear, and, appearing from the undergrowth, one ear, a tail and one head at a time, a large tiger.
Faced with one of the larger and more ferocious members of the cat family Nora is not convinced that he is real. The tiger takes this doubt in good spirit. He admits he isn't sure about his own existence and bamboozles Nora by asking if she is real too. On this quirky philosophical note they move on to other topics (breakfast and trampolines) as he provides a ride home. There Grandma says she thinks the tiger was a ginger car. Nora knows different. Grandma will get her own lesson in imagination when she goes to the bathroom and sees what is in the bath.
'There's a Tiger in the Garden' is a real winner. Like many successful books or films, it delivers on several levels. The illustrations and wildlife engage the very young. Slightly older children will enjoy the theme of imagination and may relate to the slightly spikey Nora. Parents can ponder the meaning of Nora's existential encounter with the tiger. I know I still am. Something for everyone, and one to go back to.
This story reminded me of several previous good reads. Another cool cat is to be found in Mr Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown. The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr is a classic that will appeal to pre-schoolers. The tiger in the garden bears a strong resemblance to the one who came to tea. I like to think he is resting in the garden after drinking all the water in the taps.
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You can read more book reviews or buy There's a Tiger in the Garden by Lizzy Stewart at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy There's a Tiger in the Garden by Lizzy Stewart at Amazon.com.
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