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Mr. Tiger Goes Wild | November 13, 2013

by Peter Brown (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, September 2013)

Since we are still in midst of Picture Book Month (aka November), I wanted to rave about one of my favorite picture books of the year— the latest offering from Peter Brown, Caldecott Honor illustrator of Creepy Carrots!

The book opens to grayscale brick wall endpapers, which are a stark contrast to the bright cover art, but which also perfectly embody the drab nature of Mr. Tiger’s world. As the reader soon learns, “Everyone was perfectly fine with the way things were. Everyone but Mr. Tiger”. All of you who are familiar with Grumpy Cat will find a kindred spirit in Mr. Tiger. He’s a dapper feline who’s so over being proper all the time. And now, Mr. Tiger is having some rather wild urges: he starts walking on all fours, he plays with kids, and he even roars (gasp!). When his friends have had enough of his strange new behavior, they suggest he go live in the wilderness—and Mr. Tiger thinks it’s a splendid idea. Until, that is, he realizes no one else lives there. His friends are all still back in town—being proper. So Mr. Tiger must decide what to do next…and the fairly surprising ending will certainly delight readers.

But fear not. This isn’t a book that encourages children to run around like wild animals. At least, not necessarily. It’s about being comfortable in your own skin—or fur—and finding the right herd of friends who will accept you for who you are.

For those of you interested in the inspiration for Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, Peter has a nice post about it, and the evolution of his style for this latest book, on his blog. I’m not nearly articulate, or dapper, enough to describe the intricacies of his newest style with justice, but I do love it so. It’s deceptively detailed and wonderfully vibrant. Children will particularly love the scenes where Mr. Tiger lets loose with his great big roars.

 

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