Most of the Better Natural Things in the World

Mixed-media, digitally rendered landscapes in jewelbox colors tell the story of a silent, solitary journey. The tale opens on a bleak expanse of land, a wooden chair inexplicably placed in the foreground, a magenta cord draped around it: steppe, the handwritten label reads. A page turn reveals a white tiger wearing a purple kerchief, the chair tied to its back, tiptoeing gingerly across stones in a stream between two sheer rock walls: gorge, it's labeled. Where is the tiger going--and what is the chair for? A white bird sometimes flies above the tiger, a friendly companion. In the spreads that follow, the tiger hikes, climbs, swims, and rows through magnificent stretches of wilderness labeled with geographical descriptors usually relegated to textbooks. The tiger journeys from atoll to alpine lake to the badlands, stopping to gaze at the northern lights before it arrives at its destination--a spot whose name sounds just like the feline's own. Eggers (What Can a Citizen Do?) and newcomer Chang imagine a wild world emptied of humans, their buildings, their vehicles, and their trash--landscapes that make the tiger's expedition gloriously free and startlingly beautiful. Ages 5-8. (Nov.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 3--A white tiger transports a yellow dining room chair on a fantastic voyage across varied landscapes. Each spread features a single topographic designation. The tiger swims, climbs, hikes, rows, and meanders his way across a tundra, estuary, atoll, cloud forest, and more. Occasionally, the tiger interacts with other animals such as bears in the foothills. A white bird and a brown mouse appear on many pages, which will intrigue sharp-eyed viewers. In fact, the illustrations, richly colored and consistently arresting, offer a visual feast. The four-page foldout, aptly dubbed "vista," allows readers to share the tiger's contemplation of a brilliant sunset. The journey's end seems almost an anticlimax after the fabulous trip. Eggers supplies cursory definitions of terms in a glossary at the end. Some brief entries provide examples of countries or continents where the geographical feature is found. Others mention representative plants or animals or describe physical features. VERDICT The wonderful illustrations will excite viewers about the natural world but libraries will want to have nonfiction titles on hand to satisfy childrens' curiosity about the geographic features depicted.--Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University Library, Mankato

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

A white tiger transports a yellow dining room chair on a fantastic voyage across varied landscapes. Each spread features a single topographic designation. The tiger swims, climbs, hikes, rows, and meanders his way across a tundra, estuary, atoll, cloud forest, and more. The wonderful illustrations will excite viewers about the natural world.—School Library Journal