I Am a Tiger

PreS-Gr 1–Though the other animals he encounters insist he is not big enough, stripy enough, or a good enough climber to be a tiger, Mouse confidently maintains that he is a tiger and, furthermore, that the tiger’s “twitchy nose” and “little hands and feet” make the tiger a mouse. Likewise the raccoon, fox, snake, and bird’s features are akin to balloons and bananas. The outlook provides a good opportunity to more closely examine the familiar creatures in the illustrations. In the end, Mouse has a change of heart and decides with his teeth, claws, and tail, he is actually a crocodile. The illustrations accentuate the animal characters with expressive faces and engaging postures against backgrounds primarily made up of solid color. Mouse’s voice is shown in a blocky, sans serif font, while the other characters’ voices are shown in a serif font. The tiger’s voice goes from a dense block print to the serif font of the other animals once Mouse makes his argument that the tiger is also a mouse. The sentences are short and simple, making an amusing read-aloud for young children or early elementary students.