A tiger like me by Michael Engler, illustrated by Joelle Tourlonias, translated by Laura Watkinson

There are plenty of books showing kids pretending to be animals, but the illustrations in this import make this an especially attractive iteration of the trope.

The end pages show a dark forest, in night shades of blues and grays, with just a few orange leaves amongst the trees. Sprawled on a heap of pillows and blankets is a little tiger... or is it a child in a tiger suit? On the title page the lights come on, he stretches and yawns... and the little tiger, er, boy, wakes up with a roar! He avoids a morning wash and brush, devours breakfast at a stone table with cave paintings, and finds a great hiding place. Unfortunately, the laundry basket turns out to be more of a trap and he needs rescuing...

The little tiger puts on boots and explores the snow, hunts tasty food in the jungle of the kitchen, stalks his dad (and gets sent to his room), has a crafty evening making tigers with his parents, and finally goes to bed... but he doesn't stay there! He ends the day cuddled up in his parents' bed and then finally back in his den after "a long, exciting day."

The text is lengthy for a read-aloud, but could easily be shortened since it consists of a series of short sentences. Each scene ends with a refrain, "Because I am a tiger, a [adjective, adjective] tiger." The tiger is by turns clever and cunning, whirling and swirling, crafty and creative, wild and wary. The swirling, messy illustrations are especially attractive, showing the little boy's bedroom turning into a jungle, a messy craft time on the floor of the living room with orange paint splashed about liberally and the boy cuddled in his father's lap, and a determined little boy, his shadow a big, brooding tiger, refusing to brush his teeth before bed.

Verdict: This story won't be for everyone - a lot of parents prefer more consequences for bad behavior and the longer text will make it hard for wiggly kids (or tigers) to sit still, but with a little judicious editing, every family's wild child, with or without furry stripes, will enjoy this imaginative romp.

ISBN: 9781542044561; English edition published September 2019 by Amazon Crossing; Review copy provided by publicist; Donated to the library