S. J. Fore

n this delightful role-reversal story, all the serious little boy wants is to settle down quietly and read his book. But that?s not so easy when there?s an imaginative tiger with an excess of energy behind the couch, wanting attention and someone to play with. Repetitive refrains and sound effects make this a perfect read-aloud, and the sweet and cozy ending will delight the heart of any book-lover.

I love R. W. Alley's illustrations, so classic and yet so funny. It's a perennial woe to me that no one will check out Wolf's at the door. Too big. Sigh.

This one, though, will fly off the shelf!

A little boy is trying to read. But that annoying tiger just can't be quiet! First he chomps, then he growls...and "it's very hard to read when there's a Karate Tiger behind your couch..."

Finally, Tiger settles down and discovers just what it is that the little boy finds so entrancing about his book show more and joins in the fun.

The tiger's exuberant stripiness stands out again the couch and it's accessories and the expressions on the little boy and tiger's faces are hilarious. A perfect bedtime story for wandering and rambunctious little ones as well as a fun story for older kids to sympathize with the little boy.

Verdict: Recommended for story times about reading and tigers!

ISBN: 978-0670011407; Published August 2010; Borrowed from the library. show less

I can’t sleep because there’s a tiger in my closet . . . eating potato ships.
. . . Bouncing.
. . . Doing cartwheels.
. . . Tapping.
. . . Playing the Tuba.
. . . Turning the light on and off.
. . . Crying.

Crying? What happened to make Tiger cry? And what will the boy do now?

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The targeted audience for this charming tale is the young reader ages two through five or six. It is the perfect for a bedtime story . . . sure to strike a familiar note with youngsters. The predictable show more series of events as the boy tries [over and over] to sleep will delight young readers. And there’s nothing scary in the closet [just a noisy, but friendly, tiger].

Here the youngster takes the adult role while the tiger plays the part of the child who doesn’t want to go to sleep.

There’s some silliness creating humor in the story, but the young reader will see how the boy politely gives the tiger many opportunities to stop making noise until he finally learns the real reason for all the noise.

Full-color illustrations . . . including the dark [but definitely not scary] closet . . . accompany the text.

Highly recommended. show less

The young narrator of the story gets more and more frustrated as he tries to read his book, only to be constantly interrupted by the tiger behind the couch... first the tiger' is chewing gum, then pretending to be a bear, then practicing his karate moves, then making choo choo train noises. What's a young reader to do? Delightful and expressive illustrations perfectly complement the quirky text, and primary students will love the tiger's remorseful tone as he promises over and over that he show more CAN be quiet. show less