Is This a Tiger?

Readers first met explorer Alex in Have You Seen an Elephant?, and she’s back again with her trusty journal, this time to help her friend, Atticus, find a tiger. Because Atticus has never seen a real tiger before, Alex uses her journal to show him what to look for. However, with each feature she describes, Atticus finds the wrong animal. Alex tells Atticus that tigers have stripes and big teeth. Instead of a tiger, Atticus finds a cat, some lemurs, a zebra, a shark, and a walrus. Although clearly not tigers, young readers will enjoy pointing out all the different animals. Readers will also learn lots of facts about tigers from the pages of Alex’s journal, including that tigers can eat up to 40 kg of food, and that they don’t purr like other cats. Ellis’ watercolour illustrations are fun and detailed, depicting the humorous situations in which Alex and Atticus discover new animals.

The last page seen from Alex’s journal explains that tigers are an endangered species, with three of the nine types of tigers already extinct. When Atticus learns this, he says, “No wonder they are so hard to find!” This quote perfectly describes the purpose of Ellis’ field guide series; learning about endangered species in a fun way will lead to young readers’ understanding why endangered animals, such as tigers and elephants, are rarely seen in the wild.

As with the journal activity at the end of Have You Seen an Elephant?, readers will find adorable pictures of all the animals that Atticus found, along with an interesting fact about them. At the very end of the book, there is a list of useful resources for readers who want to get involved with helping tigers and other wildlife, as well as a source list for more information about tigers. Not only is Is This a Tiger? a great nonfiction selection to add to story time, but it is also well researched and thought out. It can be enjoyed in the classroom and at home and would be perfect for young animal lovers.