TIGER TROUBLE

Two felines question each other’s identities.

Tig the cat barges into Lily’s tiger pen at the city zoo and declares it home. Lily’s confused when Tig says that he is a tiger, but Tig flips the script and raises questions over whether Lily is a tiger. Tig even goes so far as suggesting Lily’s parents called her “Tiger” as a nickname, which causes Lily distress. Luckily for Lily, there are signs at the zoo that make it clear she’s a tiger. Lily is able to laugh in self-awareness that she was coerced into an identity crisis at all and even confronts a couple of rude tigers who are mean to Tig over his assertion. This is a clever tale of self-image and how it can be reinforced or denied, and ultimately friendship blossoms between the pair as Lily tells Tig, “You can be whatever you want to be.” Tig’s consistent refusal to recognize Lily as a tiger threatens to cross over into its own form of bullying, but he comes off as more oblivious than malicious. The humorous dialogue is supported by artwork that demonstrates the tension between Tig and Lily, including colorful sound effects and facial expressions that convey Tig’s self-confident attitude and Lily’s various states of unease.

A whimsical reminder that respect and friendship sometimes matter more than winning an argument.