I Am a Tiger

This readaloud puts a jaunty spin on a timeless, kid-snaring trope: mistaken self-identity. A mouse insists it’s a tiger, despite the discrepancy in the two species’ size and behaviors, and it refuses to back down, even when a raccoon protests that a tiger is bigger and “has a bit more GRRRR!” (“Tigers can be small too. GRRRR!” responds the mouse), and a fox asserts that a tiger has stripes (“Some do. This one doesn’t. So there”). The staccato narrative by Newson (The Mess Monster) and bold, closely focused art from Collins (What Does an Anteater Eat?) are wryly attuned: when a tiger suddenly steps onto the scene, loudly contesting the mouse’s claim, the mouse wags its tiny finger at the newcomer and dismissively alleges, “Ha ha ha! You’re not a tiger. You’re a mouse!” The tiger’s confidence visibly flags when the mouse points out the big cat’s “tiny, twitchy nose” and “little hands and feet,” then cleverly and absurdly misidentifies the story’s other critters before justifying an abrupt departure (“my lunch won’t catch itself!”). Kids will roar along as they chime in to refute the mouse’s droll deceptions. Ages 3–5. [em](July) [/em]