DORJE'S STRIPES

In a secluded Buddhist monastery nestled in the Himalayas, monks of all ages share their lives with a special friend: a Bengal tiger named Dorje. Dorje is unique in that he has no stripes—just two dark patches above his eyes. One day the youngest monk, Cheekoo, notices that a stripe has appeared on Dorje's shoulders. This prompts Master Wu to recount the tale of Dorje's arrival at the monastery. He also tells the young monks that he has dream-walked into the sleeping mind of Dorje; there he learned that Dorje once had stripes but lost one for every tiger men killed from his clan. On a walk with Master Wu in the forest, Dorje finds a female tiger, and the stripe Cheekoo noticed suddenly appeared: There may be hope for his clan yet. Indian screenwriter Ruddra's completely muddled tale begins promisingly enough but loses a coherent narrative thread by the halfway mark. Master Wu's lengthy story leaches immediacy from the tale. The Parks' watercolor paintings are quite beautiful, very watery and brushy. However, their depictions of Cheekoo are inconsistent from image to image, and the number of stripes they give Dorje conflicts with Master Wu's tale and the timeline of the story. A worthy subject that is worthy of a far better treatment. (Picture book. 5-8)