Hello, My Name Is Tiger

by Jennifer P. Goldfinger, Jennifer P. Goldfinger (Illustrator)

Overview

A reassuring picture book for back-to-school jitters!

Toby likes being a cat more than he likes being a boy. So when it’s time to go to school, he becomes a timid kitten. But when Toby finally gathers the courage to join in with the other kids, he finds out that everything is more fun with friends.

From talented author and illustrator Jennifer P. Goldfinger comes this adorable picture book about just being yourself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062399519
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/12/2016
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Jennifer P. Goldfinger is the author and illustrator of A Fish Named Spot and My Dog Lyle as well as the illustrator of The King’s Chorus. She is also a fine artist whose work has been in juried shows in the Museum of Fine Art in Boston and in a solo show at the Danforth Art Museum as well as being a featured artist in the book Encaustic.

Hello, My Name Is Tiger was inspired by her daughter’s friend Simon, who changed his name to Clifford and dressed as a big red dog (in red-footed pj’s) for four months. The only time he wasn’t dressed as a dog was at bath time, which was also laundry time.

Jennifer lives outside Boston with her husband, daughters, dog, and bunny. You can visit her online at www.jennifergoldfinger.com.

Jennifer P. Goldfinger is the author and illustrator of A Fish Named Spot and My Dog Lyle as well as the illustrator of The King’s Chorus. She is also a fine artist whose work has been in juried shows in the Museum of Fine Art in Boston and in a solo show at the Danforth Art Museum as well as being a featured artist in the book Encaustic.

Hello, My Name Is Tiger was inspired by her daughter’s friend Simon, who changed his name to Clifford and dressed as a big red dog (in red-footed pj’s) for four months. The only time he wasn’t dressed as a dog was at bath time, which was also laundry time.

Jennifer lives outside Boston with her husband, daughters, dog, and bunny. You can visit her online at www.jennifergoldfinger.com.

Editorial Reviews

05/09/2016
In an emotionally observant story about adapting to new experiences, Goldfinger (My Dog Lyle) introduces Toby, who “liked being a cat more than a boy.” Dressed in an orange, head-to-toe (or ears-to-tail, perhaps) cat outfit, Toby introduces himself to his classmates as Tiger and, like many a cat, proceeds to do his own thing—scratching in the “litter box” (aka sandbox) at recess and “scamper away” from students’ efforts to befriend him. After getting stuck in a tree, Toby/Tiger learns that he has more in common with some of his classmates than he thought, connecting with a pair of children who have their own animal alter egos. Loose crayon lines and washes of paint create a welcoming and nonthreatening school environment for the children to explore, while contributing a quiet visual humor that respects Toby’s emotional life and catlike independent streak. Ages 4–8. Agent: Heather Alexander, Pippin Properties. (July)

Publishers Weekly

...an emotionally observant story about adapting to new experiences...” — Publishers Weekly

“Loose crayon lines and washes of paint create a welcoming and nonthreatening school environment for the children to explore...” — Publishers Weekly

“A gentle story about making new friends...with savvy restraint, Goldfinger presents the magic of just watching three children raptly engaged in play.” — Kirkus Reviews

“With simple, colorful chalklike drawings, this picture book is sensitive to how overwhelming new environments and situations can be to young children....a good selection for children apprehensive about going to school and making new friends.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

08/01/2016
PreS-K—The transition from home to school can be intimidating for any child. Young Toby, who has an animal alter ego, is a playful kitten at home and turns into an apprehensive tiger when he attends his first day of school. Knowing no one, Toby the Tiger shies away from the other children during recess, preferring to play by himself, and eventually climbs up a tree to observe the others playing. There he befriends Pete the Monkey, who is experiencing the same anxieties that Toby feels. They climb down out of the tree and start to play together. As they form a bond, they notice Lottie, and she joins in their activities. Together, they play and learn that although pretending to be animals is fun, so is being themselves. With simple, colorful chalklike drawings, this picture book is sensitive to how overwhelming new environments and situations can be to young children and delivers its message of adapting in an unassuming manner. VERDICT A good selection for children apprehensive about going to school and making new friends. Perfect for one-on-one and small group sharing.—Vivian Ho, Port Washington Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

2016-06-01
A kid who stands out for dressing as a tiger finds he's not as alone as he thought in a gentle story about making new friends. Toby, a young boy, "liked being a cat more than a boy." Around the house, he plays the part of a frisky cat in a full-body tiger costume. At school, the imaginative play continues as he pounces on leaves, scratches in a sandbox (which, luckily, readers don't see employed as a litter box), and climbs a tree. There, he runs into trouble, remembering that cats can't climb back down. Pete, a young boy in the tree dressed as a monkey, helps out. After Toby and Pete become fast friends, they help a girl named Dottie dress up and join in as a bird named Polly. Author/illustrator Goldfinger's colored-in crayon scenes burst with energy and warmth, and she gets a lot of mileage with expressions that are little more than two dots for eyes and simple, soft lines for faces. (Among their diverse class, Toby, Pete, and Dottie all have light skin.) The costumes look cozy and textured against expansive white backgrounds in compositions that are more sophisticated in the emotional, joyful moments they convey than the sketchy style would at first suggest. With savvy restraint, Goldfinger presents the magic of just watching three children raptly engaged in play. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews