ABOUT THIS BOOK: MR. TIGER GOES WILD
by Peter Brown
Mr. Tiger is bored and unhappy living in a very bland, proper world. This world is just not him! So, he starts taking increasingly bold steps toward enjoying himself in a world that let’s him be himself. Mr. Brown, a Caldecott Honor artist, creates clever illustrations that will make the First Reading great fun! Mr. Tiger’s transformation from an unfulfilled conformist to a content individual is revealed in the illustrations as well as in the text.
Mr. Brown starts out with Mr. Tiger’s bright orange in the midst of a gray and brown straight-lined world. As Mr. Tiger travels from proper conformity to individual freedom, Mr. Brown’s illustrations increase in color and chaos. However, good stories often contain a twist. Mr. Tiger realizes that his individual freedom has come with a price. He misses his friends. The story has a satisfying conclusion that stresses the value of compromise.
The common story line of being yourself connects to classics such as The Ugly Duckling and to other Practickle selections such as Stellaluna and Big Mean Mike. With the common theme, “It’s ok to be different.”, the Reading Comprehension Best Practice of Summarizing seems a great fit. During the Third Reading, you’ll practice moving from topic to main idea to summary. Then, discuss other books or movies in which characters have learned the same lesson.
Share with your listeners that Peter Brown grew up “imagining and drawing silly characters.”He has won numerous awards, such as: two E. B. White Read Aloud Awards, and a Children’s Choice Award for Illustrator of the Year. Mr. Tiger Goes Wild was Amazon’s Best Children’s Book of 2013, Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Book of the Year, and School Library Journal’s Best Book of the Year.