Tiger's Last Roar

Mae has a best friend, her pet cat, Tiger, and together they become Queens of the Jungle. Together they are the greatest explorers, ROARERS, leapers, creepers, racers and chasers that the world has ever seen. Only the shout, ‘Teatime!’ brings them in from the great outdoors. Time happily passes, but then old Tiger becomes less and less active, sleeping more and more. Mae is devastated when Tiger no longer returns home. Her Mum offers consolation as Mae sobs and sobs, encouraging Mae to talk about her loss, as sadness curls all about her. Shared memories, often spoken, help the healing process until Mum persuades Mae to play again in the jungle once beloved by Tiger. The book closes with a double spread entitled My Special Memories. There are opportunities to record a pet’s appearance, favourite toy, where they liked to sleep. And the last box is, ‘What are the funniest thing they did?’ Finally, a page enlarging on the fact that a child’s relationship with a pet is often an important one and their death can have a big emotional impact on the child; whilst it may be their first experience of death, for others it may trigger emotions from a previous loss. Through clear and honest explanations given to the child, it will help in understanding that death is a natural part of life and that drawing, writing and talking about a pet’s death, sharing happy memories, can help a child move through their grief. The illustrations glow; brilliant colours portray a luxuriant ‘jungle’, the outside world where Mae and Tiger play. There are lots of details to explore, especially once Tiger fails to return home. A welcome book dealing with death to share with all small children, especially those who own a pet.