There's a Tiger in the Garden

Preschool-Grade 2. Bored while visiting at her grandmother’s house, Nora is sent to play in the garden. As she goes outside, her grandmother offhandedly mentions that Nora should watch for the dragonflies as big as birds, plants that want to eat you, a grumpy polar bear, and, of course, the tiger. A dubious Nora calls her grandmother silly, but ventures out anyway. Soon she too starts to see amazing things in the garden, including an “extraordinarily friendly” tiger. Nora and the tiger engage in a somewhat Descartian debate about what is real, what is not, and how to tell. Nora’s visit to the garden demonstrates the power of imagination, even as the story maintains an ambiguous tone. The lushly colored garden has enough jungle greenery to suggest a painting by Henri Rousseau, and like some works by that artist, contains a mix of realistic and fantasy elements. In the end, Nora seems to acknowledge the game by inviting her grandmother to see the mermaid in the bath. An intriguing story to contemplate on several levels.

Copyright 2017 Booklist, LLC Used with permission.

How can you be bored when mysterious creatures live in the garden?Nora is tired of painting tigers, so Grandma sends her out in the garden to find the tiger that Grandma claims lives there. Irritable and dubious at first, the young white girl can’t believe her grandmother thinks she’ll play such silly games—until her imagination begins to unfold. Striking, colorful, and detailed multimedia illustrations, with just the right amount of detail, show Nora, along with her trusty stuffed giraffe, Jeff, as she encounters giant dragonflies, carnivorous plants, and a curmudgeonly polar bear. “And even though there are dragonflies as big as birds and plants that want to eat us, and you are a very grumpy polar bear,” she tells her new acquaintance, “there is absolutely, definitely, one hundred percent, no….” Wait, what’s that in the bushes? Could it be…? And how can you tell if a tiger is real anyway? Conversational text tells the story in a concise, accessible manner, while the vivid illustrations are certain to capture the attention and imaginations of a young audience. Back in the house after her adventure, Nora tells Grandma what has happened. Perhaps Nora has discovered a whole new way to play! A celebration of play and story sure to excite the imaginations of young readers and listeners. (Picture book. 3-6)

Copyright 2017 Kirkus Reviews, LLC Used with permission.

Nora is bored, and when Grandma tells her that there's a tiger in her garden--as well as "dragonflies the sizes of birds and plants that can swallow you up whole!"--the girl is both skeptical and annoyed. "I'm too old for silly games!" she says. But readers can see a tiger tail poking out from the foliage, and since there's nothing else to do, Nora sallies forth. First-time author-illustrator Stewart portrays the garden with a Rousseaulike lushness and fantasy: dragonflies fill the sky with wings that look like stained-glassed windows, and among the flora are hungry-looking plants that resemble bright red lips with teeth. It may take readers a little while to warm to Nora, who initially seems more bratty than independent minded, but Stewart believably traces her thawing attitude in a way that shows how a bit of open-mindedness (and nudging) can lead to rewarding and unexpected adventures. And Nora more than meets her match in the sleek, unruffled tiger, who Grandma later admits might just be a ginger cat. "Are you real?" Nora asks. "I don't know," the tiger replies. "Are you?" Ages 4-7. (Mar.)

Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 2—Nora tells her grandma that she is bored. Even her stuffed giraffe Jeff is bored. Grandma suggests she visit the garden. She just might have seen a tiger there, among other wonders, she tells Nora. Feeling she is too old for such silly games, Nora and Jeff venture into the garden and are surprised by colorful dragonflies as big as birds. The child then discovers plants that want to eat her, a polar bear, and, eventually, the tiger. The tiger and Nora have a discussion about what is real. After spending the afternoon in the garden with the tiger, Nora returns to her grandma for dinner. She asks her grandmother if that was really a tiger in the garden. Grandma tells her that it is hard to tell sometimes, maybe it was just a ginger cat. Flat and folksy characters tell the main part of the story in conversational prose. Artistically flattened scenery with creative use of white space (to add dimension) work well together in the outdoor illustrations. Blurring the lines between imagination and reality, the abundance of green foliage looks as if it could either be a garden or a jungle. This British import reminds readers that boredom is just a state of mind and adventure awaits in outdoor play. VERDICT A solid choice for one-on-one and small group sharing.—Mindy Hiatt, Salt Lake County Library Services

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"An intriguing story to contemplate on several levels."—Booklist

"A celebration of play and story sure to excite the imaginations of young readers and listeners."-Kirkus

"First-time author-illustrator Stewart portrays the garden with a Rousseaulike lushness and fantasy."—Publishers Weekly

"This British import reminds readers that boredom is just a state of mind and adventure awaits in outdoor play."—School Library Journal