Review Detail

THE TIGER CHILD is a whimsical and magical adventure. A child heads into the woods and encounters a tiger. She roars at it, and the tiger invites her to follow, whereupon they venture further into the woods and all its amazing sights. The book ends with the little girl having found her voice, as she is a (metaphorical) tiger too.

What I loved: This is a magical journey into the woods with a message of finding yourself and your courage. The story feels very whimsical and full of adventure, with a book that likewise invites exploration. Each page spread includes special features, such as cutouts that lead to the next, large fold-out flaps, and even a pop-up of a key moment in the story when the little girl lets out her own roar.

The story feels dream-like in the telling, from the perspective of the child. The detailed and lush images amplify this feeling, as she continues through her adventure with the tiger. There is limited text on each page that make them turn as quickly as readers like. The peek-throughs leading to animals and surprises are a nice touch that invite the reader to explore alongside the little girl.

What left me wanting more: As a small thing, the construction of the book is a typical picture book. Some of the die-cut peek-throughs, flaps, and pop-up are fragile. This could be a tough one for preschoolers (though they will love the story), as their little fingers can be a bit rough. This would be fantastic in cardstock-style pages and/or board book format in the future!

Final verdict: THE TIGER CHILD is a whimsical adventure with messages of finding yourself and your courage that young readers will enjoy.