Never tickle a tiger by Pamela Butchart
Ill. by Marc Boutavant. Bloomsbury, 2015. ISBN 9781408839034
(Ages: 3+) Highly recommended. Energetic Izzy is always on the move,
always shuffling and jiggling, squirming and twitching, wriggling
and fiddling. She fiddles at home, she knots Grandma's knitting, and
as for parties she brings in the jelly jiggling on her head. When
Miss Potterhurst her class teacher bravely takes her students to the
zoo, she warns Izzy to behave. Does young Izzy listen? Of course
not, she runs from one animal exhibit to another, stroking the snake
behind the glass, bothering the bear and tapping the giant
tortoises' shells. Her teacher warns lively Izzy 'And never tickle a
tiger!'
She slips away after lunch, skips past the aviary, acquires a
feather from a surprised parrot and yes we know just what Izzy does!
She causes chaos as a catastrophic chain of events occurs.
French illustrator Marc Boutavant's vibrant, computer drawn
illustrations bring Izzy to life. Her energy, personality and
adventurous nature is evident as she shimmies, bounces, wriggles and
skips from scene to scene. The gatefold pages are an exciting
explosion of animal pandemonium, so take time to share both the
alliterative text and discover all the creatures. Engage with their
wide eyes, surprised faces and funny interactions, observe as the
crocodile snaps at the skunk, who then pongs the panda and ever so
quickly there's uproar at the zoo.
Never tickle a tiger is a wonderful read-aloud story for a
young reader, and a kindergarten or junior class. Just right for an
introduction to action verbs as well.
Rhyllis Bignell