The Tiger Child

A tiger’s tail, glimpsed through the first of a number of carefully and cleverly placed peek-through details sends the little girl in this story on an adventure that gets progressively wilder. She is called to leave the safety of her cosy little indoor tent by ‘the call of the wild,’ the tiger’s whisper, following its foot prints across the garden. As she continues, the garden transforms into a jungle, and she discovers her own tiger qualities, learning to roar, and even telling us, ‘For the first time, I do not feel small. I do not feel afraid.’ Little ones, particularly those who are shy or sensitive, will be inspired to find their own inner tiger and Michelle Beech’s illustrations convey this as perfectly as the text. With the cut out pages, gatefolds and a glorious pop-up, it’s a truly immersive reading experience and there’s a lovely impetus to the story, something new to enjoy and realise with every turn of the page. This is Michelle Beech’s debut and she is a talent to watch.

Read our Q&A interview with Michelle Beech.