There's a Tiger in the Garden

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.