Raj the Bookstore Tiger

by Kathleen T. Pelley, Paige Keiser (Illustrator)

Overview

Being a bookstore tiger is hard work. There’s much patrolling, and a lot of sitting in laps at story hour, and then there’s sleeping in the window display. But Raj is up to the task. He is fierce and proud—until Snowball comes along. The new cat in the bookstore informs Raj that he’s just a marmalade kitty-cat. Times get tough, then, for the bookstore tiger. But bookstore and Raj owner Felicity, with the help of poet William Blake, knows how to fix things. In turn, with a very special book, Raj is able to fix things with Snowball.

Paige Keiser’s quirky, intimate illustrations invite readers to curl up and share a story—with their own tigers or a friend.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781580892308
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	02/01/2011
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	AD640L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kathleen T. Pelley is the author of MAGNUS MAXIMUS, A MARVELOUS MEASURER (Farrar Strauss and Giroux), and THE GIANT KING (Child Welfare League of America). Kathleen lives in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

Read an Excerpt

Raj was a tiger. Not a jungle tiger or an Indian tiger, but a tiger all the same. That’s what Felicity Fotheringham had called him the day she brought him home to her attic above the bookstore she owned.
            “What a tiger!” Felicity had gasped as she held him up to the sun. “Look at that gorgeous golden coat! And those beautiful chocolate stripes! Only a real tiger’s name is good enough for you. I will call you Raj.”

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Raj the Bookstore Tiger"
by .
Copyright © 2011 Kathleen T. Pelley.
Excerpted by permission of Charlesbridge.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

K-Gr 3—Raj, a handsome marmalade cat with a golden coat and chocolate stripes, believes he is a tiger. His owner, Felicity Fotheringham, has given him a real tiger's name and introduces him at storytime as "our very own bookstore tiger." When an employee brings his cat to the bookstore, Snowball quickly becomes the top feline, sprawling and smirking from a child's lap. Worst of all, he says Raj is no tiger, just a plain old kitty-cat. Felicity wisely reads aloud William Blake's tiger poem over and over again, restoring her pet's confidence. The next morning, despite Snowball's hisses and scowls, Raj is his old self again. A visiting author from India calls him a little tiger, and Felicity agrees. With great kindness, Raj shows Snowball a picture of a white tiger in a book, and the two little tigers make the rounds together. Illustrations done in watercolors and colored pencil bring the bookstore and its inhabitants to life. Youngsters will wish they could be part of Felicity's storytime with a marmalade cat in their laps. Raj's self-esteem issues will resonate with youngsters and spark discussions.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN

School Library Journal

Is Felicity's bookstore big enough for two territorial felines? Raj the golden cat imagines himself a tiger as he prowls the busy bookstore where he "works" with owner Felicity, meowing at customers, strutting through storytime and permitting the humans to pet him...occasionally. At night, purring Raj curls up with Felicity in the attic apartment they share over the store. One day, everything changes; store manager Christopher brings persnickety white cat Snowball (who doesn't get along with Christopher's new Labrador puppy) to stay at the store. For a time, a feline feud takes center stage in the store window: Raj tries various hiding places while Snowball usurps his position with customers. Felicity brings out Raj's inner tiger again with a little William Blake, and, similarly, Raj uses a book about India to show Snowball her inner tigress. The two can now prowl the store in harmony. The sophisticated narrative, with its nice streak of irony, suits older picture-book audiences; Keiser's watercolor-and-pencil pictures are aptly clever and low-key. Nice nourishment for the blossoming bookworm. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews