Some little tiger cubs grow up with their mothers, but this one born in Six Flags Marine World, a wild animal park in California, is raised entirely by human keepers. Lots of pictures show the infant tiger drinking from a bottle, taking a first bath, smooching and cuddling with her human keepers, walking on a leash, and joining the adult tigers in the exhibit. Easy-reading text offers somewhat stilted explanations of what the color photos show. “It is time for a checkup. The bright lights are scary. The tiger cub roars.” The author notes, “Tigers can be trained to do what people want them to do. But tigers cannot be tamed.” In an afterword, she states: “Many zoos and wild animal parks breed captive Bengal tigers. One day, some of these tigers may be returned to the wild.” Animal theme parks use this line to justify breeding and keeping endangered animals as exhibits, but conservationists may be saddened by this effort to turn wild animals into cute displays. (Nonfiction. 4-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 1-57505-163-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Detailed woodcuts colored in soft pastels add visual interest to this didactic story. All the birds in the woods make nests as neat as baskets—all except Tanglebird, whose efforts result in a tangled mess. When the other birds ridicule Tanglebird, he flies off to the city where he believes he's found new materials for his nest: yarn (he snarls up a knitter), rubber hoses (he ensnares the park keeper), and kite string (he ensnares himself). A girl named Gina untangles him and takes him home, where he loves the spaghetti and learns to tie knots and bows, do up shoelaces, and weave. Upon his return to the woods, his woven nest is the most beautiful of all. The look of the book is quite striking, with the tangles of twig, wool, hose, and string perfectly traced in the art. The lesson about channeling chaos into creativity may be somewhat muted, but manipulated; children will like Tanglebird's triumph over those who once mocked him. (Picture book. 4-6)
Pub Date: March 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-395-84543-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1997
This My First I Can Read title is a rhythmic puzzle for the youngest of readers. A school of six fish swimming happily in the bay come up against the six feet belonging to three children, one of them armed with a red pail. An energetic and repetitive refrain will be comfortable for emerging readers; the visual clues supplied by Schindler's bold illustrations also build math skills. A gentle drama about an odd fish out—it is captured in the pail but escapes when the small pail-wielder's attention is claimed elsewhere—will appeal to children and boost their confidence in taking on more difficult reading material. (Fiction. 4-6)
Pub Date: Feb. 28, 1998
ISBN: 0-06-027713-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1997
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