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DO YOU SEE THE TIGER?

Name: DO YOU SEE THE TIGER?
Author: Philip Ardagh
ISBN: 9781536242904

by Philip Ardagh ; illustrated by David Melling ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 20, 2025

Sure to have youngsters going wild imagining similar escapades.

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A subway ride turns into a memorable adventure when a girl encounters a tiger.

Penny and her father leave the rainy London streets to board an underground train. Her brown hair is pulled into a bun, and she sports a yellow-and-black-striped backpack, hinting at the events to come. Penny notices that one of the riders has orange and black fur under his fedora and trench coat—a tiger?! Her father gently dismisses her (“That’s not a tiger, little love. That’s just a person’s stripy glove!”), but a brown-skinned toddler clutching a stuffed blue bunny is also staring at the beast. As the toddler and his parent exit the train, the bunny falls to the floor. In an extended pas de deux, Penny and the tiger (now sans outerwear) rescue Bun-Bun, propelling it through the doors into the grateful child’s hands. Rhyming text (which includes a nod to William Blake’s “Tyger, Tyger”) drives the plot forward and adds to the read-aloud pleasure: “At last, with leaping grace and flair, / he sent Bun-Bun spinning through the air.” Melling has created a slow-motion effect for his warm, mixed-media images by using the train windows as sequential panels through which to view the ballet. Those who observe the oblivious adults and waving, re-clothed tiger among the departing passengers will delight in having been in on the secret. Penny and her father have light brown skin; the human passengers are diverse.

Sure to have youngsters going wild imagining similar escapades. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: May 20, 2025

ISBN: 9781536242904

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
BUNNIES IN A SLEIGH
by Philip Ardagh ; illustrated by Ben Mantle

- BOOK REVIEW
BUNNIES IN A BOAT
by Philip Ardagh ; illustrated by Ben Mantle

- BOOK REVIEW
BUNNIES ON THE BUS
by Philip Ardagh ; illustrated by Ben Mantle

WHEN I TALK TO GOD, I TALK ABOUT FEELINGS

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WHEN I TALK TO GOD, I TALK ABOUT FEELINGS

by Chrissy Metz & Bradley Collins ; illustrated by Lisa Fields ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 4, 2025

A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer.

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Actor Metz and songwriter Collins join illustrator Fields in their second faith-related title for young children.

Instead of focusing on the language of prayer—what to say or how to say it—this book explores a topic central to the lives of the very young: their feelings around talking to God. Rhymes and near-rhymes in the AABB verses enumerate the simple challenges and triumphs experienced by a series of animals: “Sometimes I’m sad, not sure what to do. / There are days I feel teary, unhappy, or blue. / I fell off a log. I’m embarrassed and hurt. / My coat and paws are all covered in dirt.” An accompanying illustration depicts a sad wolf pup, a definite contrast to its siblings, who are delighting in their play. The highlight of the book is Fields’ animal characters. Whether happy, nervous, or sad, their expressive faces are easy to read, and their feelings will be familiar to young tots. The beaver’s frustration is palpable, and the tears in the scared raccoon’s eyes may just make readers’ own eyes well up. Some of the animals have a God stand-in to help them with their feelings—a friend or family member—but the final spread shows all the individual animals coming together in a couple of group hugs that express where children can find support (and sweetly defy predator–prey relationships).

A tender book to help little ones make sense of the emotions around prayer. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: March 4, 2025

ISBN: 9780593691366

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Flamingo Books

Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
WHEN I TALK TO GOD, I TALK ABOUT YOU
by Chrissy Metz & Bradley Collins ; illustrated by Lisa Fields

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DIGGERSAURS

by Michael Whaite ; illustrated by Michael Whaite ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2019

Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their...

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Less ambitious than Chris Gall’s widely known Dinotrux (2009) and sequels, this British import systematically relegates each dinosaur/construction-equipment hybrid to its most logical job.

The title figures are introduced as bigger than both diggers and dinosaurs, and rhyming text and two construction-helmeted kids show just what these creatures are capable of. Each diggersaur has a specific job to do and a distinct sound effect. The dozersaurus moves rocks with a “SCRAAAAPE!!!” while the rollersaurus flattens lumps with a cheery “TOOT TOOT!!” Each diggersaur is numbered, with 12 in all, allowing this to be a counting book on the sly. As the diggersaurs (not all of which dig) perform jobs that regular construction equipment can do, albeit on a larger scale, there is no particular reason why any of them should have dinosaurlike looks other than just ’cause. Peppy computer art tries valiantly to attract attention away from the singularly unoriginal text. “Diggersaurs dig with bites so BIG, / each SCOOP creates a crater. // They’re TOUGH and STRONG / with necks so long— / they’re super EXCAVATORS!” Far more interesting are the two human characters, a white girl and a black boy, that flit about the pictures offering commentary and action. Much of the fun of the book can be found in trying to spot them on every two-page spread.

Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their dino/construction kicks. (Picture book. 3-6)