There's A Tiger In The Garden

Product Description A gorgeous and imaginative debut picture book by author/illustrator Lizzy Stewart, perfect for fans of Emily Hughes, Peter Brown, and Julie Morstad. There’s nothing to do at Grandma’s house and Nora refuses to believe any outlandish tales of dragonflies as big as birds, grumpy polar bears who like to fish, or a magnificent tiger all allegedly residing in Grandma’s garden. Nora's too old for silly games. But this charming picture book proves you are never too young or too old to dream--and adventure can find you when you least expect it. When Grandma says she's seen a tiger in the garden, Nora doesn't believe her. She's too old to play Grandma's silly games! Everyone knows that tigers live in jungles, not gardens.  So even when Nora sees dragonflies as big as birds, and plants that try to eat her toy giraffe, and a polar bear that likes fishing, she knows there's absolutely, DEFINITELY no way there could be a tiger in the garden . . .  Could there? From School Library Journal 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 Review "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 — About the Author Lizzy Stewart is an artist and illustrator living in London. She is one half of independent publishers Sing Statistics and an associate Lecturer at Goldsmiths College. Visit her on Instagram @Lizzy_Stewart.