HEART OF A TIGER
by Marsha Diane Arnold & illustrated by Jamichael Henterly
Arnold makes an appealing debut in a book set in India. A small gray kitten must choose his name in the week before the Name Day celebration. He follows a Bengal tiger, certain that he must learn its ways and adopt its name or one that is just as powerful. Ultimately he saves the tiger's life and becomes Bangali Sher Ka Dil—Heart of a Tiger. Green and gold dominate the sumptuous paintings of the forest. Henterly uses dramatic or unusual perspectives: a close-up of the snarling face of the tiger; the reflection of the cat and some parakeets in a rain puddle. The author opens with a pronunciation guide and concludes with a note on Namakarana, the Indian naming ceremony, briefly describing similar ceremonies in other countries. (Picture book. 6-8)