A Tiger Tale by Holly Webb

A Tiger Tale by Holly Webb
Buy A Tiger Tale by Holly Webb at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Confident Readers
Reviewer: Louise Jones
Summary: A young girl struggles to cope with the death of her Grandfather, but the arrival of a cuddly tiger helps her to come to terms with her grief.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 160	Date: September 2014
Publisher: Scholastic
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 9781407138633
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Kate is missing Granddad. Things just haven't been the same since he died. No more walks to school together, no more long chats in the potting shed, no more stories. The worst thing is that nobody else seems bothered. Mum keeps laughing and joking as if nothing ever happened and big sister Molly is holed away in her bedroom.

Kate's only comfort is a toy tiger, a gift from Granddad. When she cuddles it close, it reminds her of all the things that she loved about him. One night, when she sneaks into Granddad's shed, imagine her surprise when, just as she is dozing off, her toy tiger seems to turn into a REAL tiger, purring deeply and wrapping itself comfortingly around her. Was she imagining things? If so, how can she explain those gingery-brown hairs stuck to her best cardigan?

A Tiger Tale is a heartwarming story about a young girl coming to terms with deep grief. Webb captures Kate's emotions perfectly: her frustration at those around her obliviously continuing life as if nothing happened, her feelings of guilt whenever she smiles or laughs and her unwillingness to open up to her family. Slowly we see Kate coming to terms with her loss and starting to replace negative emotions with warm memories; with a little help from her tiger friend, of course.

The story has a nice twist at the end, when the truth about the 'tiger' is revealed. However, I was a bit disappointed that one of the major story threads was left unresolved, leaving the reader to guess for themselves how things may have worked out. I think this may be difficult for readers in the target audience to do and I know that if the dangling plot thread left me unsatisfied, it will probably also confuse children who like to see all elements of the story wrapped up and resolved by the last page.

A Tiger Tale sees Holly Webb doing what she does best; writing mesmerising and engaging animal stories that strike an emotional chord and appeal to a wide audience. Many thanks to the publishers for my advance copy.

Kate isn't the only one with an animal friend in her garden. Ben and Cassie have a bear living in theirs and you can read their story in Looking for Bear, also by Holly Webb.

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You can read more book reviews or buy A Tiger Tale by Holly Webb 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 A Tiger Tale by Holly Webb at Amazon.com.

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