Frida: Viva la vida! Long live life! by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand

1. Bibliography
Bernier-Grand, Carmen T. 2007. Frida: ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life!. Tarrytown, New York: Marshall Cavendish. ISBN978-0-7614-5336-9.

2. Plot summary
Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón, was born in Coyoacán, Mexico in 1907. Mexican on her father’s side and German on her mother’s, she preferred to be called by the German Frida; meaning peace. Crippled by polio at age six she would always be self-conscious of her shriveled right leg. A free-spirit and voracious reader Frida began to paint after a bus accident at age 17 left her “enclosed in a cast/it hurts a lot to laugh with carcajadas/Spinal column broken in two places/pelvis in three/ ribs in two/ right leg in seven/left elbow dislocated/deep abdominal wounds.” Married twice to her mentor Diego Kahlo, 21 years her senior, and suffering her entire life from the painful effects of polio and the bus accident, Frida Kahlo painted through her pain the beauty and degradation by outside influences of her beloved Mexico. She is remembered today as one of the greatest; most recognized painters who ever lived.

3. Critical analysis
The life of Frida Kahlo comes alive in Bernier-Grand’s free-verse poetry. Spotlighting the main turning points of Kahlo’s life; the poetry is highlighted with full-page reproductions of Kahlo’s paintings and photographs of the artist. Although she moved to the United States and painted there for many years, Frida loved Mexico and its culture. She continued, throughout her life, to paint what she saw as the American misunderstanding and exploitation of Mexican people and their culture. Many cultural markers are included in the text and in the reproductions of Kahlo’s paintings. The author uses Spanish phrases throughout to emphasize Kahlo’s life as a transplanted Mexican. Frida half-jokingly calls her mother “mi jefe” (my chief) and describes her as a “dark-skinned Tinker Bell from Oaxaca.” The paintings used in the book are vivid depictions of all things Mexican; Frida dressed in a beautiful black and gold Tehuana dress, the Mexican people themselves from peasants to the very wealthy, food, flowers, and animals native to Mexico, and the peaceful landscapes and buildings of Mexico set in contrast to the U.S. with its machinery and factories pouring smoke into the air. In one poem the author describes the difference between Frida and the American women she meets when she arrives in San Francisco; “women in slinky dresses and pert little hats/stare at my frilly skirts, my sun-shaped earrings/ the ribbons of purple light adorning my braided hair.” A 2008 Pura Belpré honor book Frida: ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life! includes a chronology of Frida Kahlo’s life and a glossary for translating the Spanish phrases used in the text to English

4. Review excerpt
Booklist Online: “As in her Pura Belpré Honor Book Cesar: Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can! (2005), Bernier-Grand introduces a famous life with lyrical free-verse poems. Nearly every double-page spread pairs a well-reproduced painting by Frida Kahlo with an original poem that defines turning points in the artist’s life. Bernier-Grand’s words expertly extend the autobiographical imagery so evident in the art. A poem about Kahlo’s family tensions appears opposite a painting of a very young Kahlo, standing naked and vulnerable beneath portraits of her family. Later pages focus on Kahlo’s tumultuous marriage to Diego Rivera. The lines of poetry capture the images’ themes of anguished love with the rhythm of an obsessive chant, alternating with a colder, more rational voice: “Diego my child Diego my lover Diego my husband. / (Diego has never been and never will be anyone’s husband.) / Diego my mother Diego my father Diego my son.” Readers who aren’t familiar with Kahlo’s life will want to begin with the appended quotes from Kahlo, the prose biography, and the chronology to glean more meaning from the poems’ sometimes oblique references. As in Stephanie Hemphill’s Your Own, Sylvia (2007) and Margarita Engle’s The Poet Slave of Cuba (2006), the poems here artfully imagine a famous figure’s heart and mind and push readers to wonder how words can capture the essence of a life.”

5. Connections
Reader’s advisory read-alike suggestions:
My Name Is Gabito/Mi Llamo Gabito: The Life of Gabriel Garcia Marquez/La Vida De Gabriel Garcia Marquez by Monica Brown
The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano by Margarita Engle

Buried Onions by Gary Soto

1. Bibliography
Soto, Gary. 1997. Buried Onions. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-15-201333-4

2. Plot summary
19-year-old Mexican-American Eddie has grown up on the mean streets of Fresno, California. He has watched as his father, uncles, and best friend have died working on dangerous, back-breaking jobs. Now his primo (cousin) Jesús is dead; stabbed through the heart in the bathroom of a dance club for commenting on a “cholo’s” (boy gang member) shoes. Eddie’s aunt wants him to kill whoever killed Jesús, Eddie’s mother, nina (godmother), and tía (aunt) want him to find a nice girl and settle down; which would be fine with Eddie, but between trying to find work and avoiding the gangs who populate his neighborhood Eddie feels lucky to still be alive. He wonders what causes the sadness and tears that seem to radiate from the ground with the heat affecting everyone he knows. He imagines there must be acres and acres of onions buried underground. What else could cause so much sadness?

3. Critical analysis
In Buried Onions Gary Soto introduces the reader to life in the barrio. Only 19, Eddie has seen and lived the bad side of the Mexican experience. Soto shows us the barrio world of poverty; rusty, broken down cars, gang tattoos, fathers in prison, not to mention crime and violence against each other. Buried Onions is the story of being left out of the American dream with gang membership, early death, or the military as the only option for young, Mexican-American men and “chola” (gang-girl), low-paying jobs, and motherhood; sometimes all three simultaneously, the only options for young Mexican-American women. The author paints a picture of old people, fearful and distrustful, sitting on front porches as the young people engage in revenge against each other. Brown skin is looked on with suspicion by whites and Eddie is constantly on the lookout for attacks from both other Mexican-Americans and the white people and police he fears. However, in the midst the powerlessness to escape the life of gangs and poverty he feels Eddie enjoys all of the good things his culture has given him. The food; helado, paleta, pan dulce, papas, raspadas, chile verde, and the tortillas his tía bribes him with, and friends and family are central to the story and Eddie’s life. He is torn between the life he has, “For me, there wasn’t much to do except eat and sleep, watch for drive-bys, and pace myself through life” and the life he wants, “The good life is one where you go to work, do an eight-hour shift, and return home to your family where your kids are wild for you. After all, you’re the daddy. Mountains rise from your shoulders, coins jingle in you pocket, and the food on the table is your doing.” Soto remains true to his stories realism, so don’t expect a happy ending. Buried Onions is the story of being left out of the American dream and trying to finding a way in without losing your cultural heritage along the way.

4. Review excerpts
Booklist Online: “Soto’s clear, finely honed poet’s voice shines in this tale of barrio life in Fresno, California. Nineteen-year-old Eddie has dropped out of junior college and is attempting to support himself through the occasional gardening job and painting curbside numbers in the wealthier parts of town. However, he’s relentlessly followed by the unbearable heat of the Central Valley summer and a wholly believable run of bad luck: his cousin is killed, his employer’s truck is stolen, and his buddy is stabbed right in front of him. On top of that, his aunt urges him to avenge his cousin’s murder. The broad and easy humor of Crazy Weekend (1994) is lacking here, but Eddie’s wry observations in the face of his many predicaments provide welcome relief. Although the coach at the neighborhood playground offers Eddie material assistance and moral support, there is no upbeat ending. The “buried onions,” which Eddie imagines as the underground source for the world’s tears, pervade the tone and plot, but the unvarnished depiction of depressed and depressing barrio life is as important as the positive images of Latinos Soto has created in his other works.”

Publishers Weekly: “This bleak, claustrophobic novel perfectly captures the cyclical despair of its [19-year-old, Hispanic protagonist], said PW; Soto leaves this bitter street tale unsweetened to the end. Ages 12-up.”

5. Connections
Reader’s advisory read-alike suggestions:
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Behind You by Jacqueline Woodson

1. Bibliography:
Woodson, Jacqueline. 2004. Behind You. New York: G. P. Putman's Sons. ISBN 0-399-23988-X.

2. Plot summary:
Fifteen-year-old Jeremiah Roselind, Miah to his friends and family, is dead; shot in the back by a policeman while running through Central Park; on his way home from seeing his girlfriend Ellie. However, Miah is not gone. His spirit lingers, trying to find a way to relieve the pain, anguish, hurt, and feelings of hatred and anger his death has left behind; his girlfriend Ellie, a white girl whose parents did not approve of her relationship with a black boy, his mother Nelia and his father Norman, separated from each other and dealing with the pain of losing their only son, his basketball teammate Kennedy, angry and blaming the fear and ignorance of white people for his friend's death, and Carlton who has lost the only friend who knew he was gay and accepted him. Can Miah, in death, ease the pain of the people he loved and bring them together so they do not grieve alone?

3. Critical analysis:
Woodson's story deals not so much with a single culture as it presents the reader with a group of people from many different cultures; all individually linked to Miah and brought together by his death. Ellie, Kennedy, and Carlton attend the same prep school as Miah; they are all wealthy except Kennedy who attends Percy Prep on a basketball scholarship. Kennedy speaks in a black dialect. Angry at losing their first basketball game after Miah's death Kennedy lets loose, "even if Miah's dead, that ain't no reason to get your booty slammed...show a dead brother some respect...don't be just straight up losing like that." Acknowledging that he comes from a poor neighborhood he points out that teen pregnancy and dropping out, "goes on where I live, but it be going on where everybody else be living too." What Kennedy eventually discovers however, is that he, the scholarship kid, is not the only outsider. They are all outsiders; Ellie, because she is a white girl dating a black boy against her parents wishes, Carlton because he is gay, and Miah the black kid with a famous father. They blunder around trying to find a way to communicate with each other; Kennedy angry at Miah's death and the racism that caused it, Ellie wanting to be close to Kennedy because he reminds her of Miah, yet afraid to get too close for fear of what her parents will say about her relationship with another African-American boy, and Carlton needing friends but afraid of the reaction he might get if he admits to anyone else that he is gay. Through it all Woodson reminds us we are really all the same underneath. Our skin may be different colors, we may have sexual preferences outside the mainstream, we may not be the person our parents want us to be, but we all want to belong, we all want to be accepted for who we are, and we all want to have friends we can talk to. Teens will identify with and understand Ellie, Kennedy, and Carlton as they all struggle with the pain of loss, the emptiness of being the outsider, and the need to belong.

4. Review excerpts:
Library Journal: "Grade 8-10–In this poignant, stand-alone sequel to the wrenching romance, If You Come Softly (Putnam, 1998), Woodson's characters are dealing with grief and picking up the pieces of their lives after the death of 15-year-old Jeremiah (Miah) Roselind. The impact of their loss is revealed through the alternating voices of his white girlfriend, Ellie; basketball teammate, Kennedy; childhood friend, Carlton; and his separated parents. With tenderness and compassion, the author exposes the characters' vulnerabilities and offers the hope that they will emerge and grow from this tragic loss. Readers who savor tough reality stories as much as happy endings will appreciate this thought-provoking, satisfying novel that offers hope but no easy answers."

Booklist: "Gr. 7-12. "Even if you turn your back on the world you left, you're still pulled toward it, you're still turning around--always--to look behind you. To make sure everyone's o.k.," says teenage Jeremiah, who first appeared in Woodson's If You Come Softly (1998). In this moving sequel, Jeremiah is dead, killed by New York City police bullets. Jeremiah watches over the people he has left behind--his girlfriend, Ellie; his friends; his divorced parents--as each struggles through grief and tries to "keep doing what the living do," ultimately finding new connections with one another and themselves. Still, Woodson writes with impressive poetry about race, love, death, and what grief feels like--the things that "snap the heart"--and her characters' open strength and wary optimism will resonate with many teens."

5. Connections:
Reader's advisory suggestions for library user's who enjoyed Behind You:
The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
Hush by Jacqueline Woodson
Afterlife by Gary Soto

Ain't Nobody a Stranger to Me by Ann Grifalconi, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

1. Bibliography:
Grifalconi, Ann. 2007. Ain't Nobody a Stranger to Me. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 978-07868-1857-0.

2. Plot Summary:
Waving hello to everyone he passes an elderly African-American man, a former slave, walks with his granddaughter to the apple orchard he planted himself; from seeds he saved as a young man, " to keep myself believing that when the great day of freedom came, I could plant 'em in my own soil, on my own farm." Wondering aloud how her grandpa can know so many people he replies that he "don't know 'em by name-just by heart" and explains that he came by his philosophy of knowing no strangers when he, his wife, and baby daughter, on the run from slavery, were fed, sheltered and directed to the route of the Underground Railroad by a white man who saw, not color, but people with a hungry baby who needed help.

3. Critical analysis:
Based on a true story, author Ann Grifalconi's narrative presents a story of desperation, fear, and the kindness of strangers. Brought to life by Jerry Pinkney's beautiful, full-page water color illustrations; the brown, gray, and dirty-yellow depictions from the past of the man, his wife, their baby, and the stranger who helped them, their faces etched with fear and desperation as they travel by night through unknown territory, alternate with the joyous ganddaughter and her smiling grandfather as they stroll down country lanes lined with green meadows and dotted with fat, black-and-white spotted cows, yellow and orange wild flowers and, upon reaching their destination, a riotous profusion of pink, rose, and white apple blossoms.

Pinkney's illustration incorporate many cultural markers. In the escape flashbacks the brown skin and broad noses show clearly the African lineage of the runaway slaves. The distrust and worry in the eyes of the man and woman indicate how very hard it is for them to believe any white person would help them even as the Quaker man, his beard and flat-brimmed hat delineating his culture too, helps to paddle the boat across "the river to freedom". The man and woman's patched and shabby clothing indicate their poverty; in sharp contrast to the future when the elderly man, clearly the same man from before only older and carefree, dressed in a tie, sweater vest, and suit walks contendly with his granddaughter; his long slender brown fingers gesturing to the peaceful, prosperity around him. And, as visual proof that running away was the right thing to do, his granddaughter; her hair in neat, multiple, black braids, her face a younger, mirror image of her grandmother, walks beside him, gazing at him with admiration as he tells his story.

4. Review excerpts:
School Library Journal: "Kindergarten-Grade 3–In this story set in the early 20th century, a young African-American narrator recalls a special moment shared with her grandfather. As the two walk together, Gran'pa greets passersby with warmth and friendliness. The source of his joy, of course, is freedom; that longing and fulfillment are made tangible through his explanation of the apple seeds he carried in his pocket while still a slave–and the orchard he owns now. He relates the story of his escape, with his wife and infant daughter, describing the kindness and safe passage shown to them by a white farmer, a member of the Underground Railroad. Later, as Gran'pa planted each seed in his own soil, he thought of someone who'd helped us on our way. Pinkney's signature pencil-and-watercolor earth tones serve well for the escape scenes; his palette lightens with an infusion of pink, and his style becomes looser and more impressionistic as the pair peer into the blossoms at the conclusion."

Booklist: "An exciting Underground Railroad escape is detailed in this handsome picture book, framed by the title's message of community and connection. A former slave takes his small granddaughter to his apple orchard, and when she asks how come he waves "hello" to everyone, he answers that he knows them not by name, but by heart. He talks to her of slavery times, when he carried apple seeds in his pocket and dreamed of planting them in his own soil. Then he escaped with his wife and baby (the grandchild's mama), and he describes how a brave white man, Quaker James Stanton, helped them cross the Ohio River to freedom. Pinkney's watercolor double-paged spreads contrast the sepia-toned gloom of slavery and hiding with the abundant light-filled apple orchard today."

5. Connections:
Good books to include in storytime with Ain't Nobody a Stranger to Me:
The Other Side of the Fence by Jacqueline Woodson
Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine
Goin' Someplace Special by Patricia McKissack

The Red Rose Box by Brenda Woods

1. Bibliography

Woods, Brenda. 2002. The Red Rose Box. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0-399-23702-X.

2. Plot Summary

On her tenth birthday Leah Hopper receives a gift from her glamorous Aunt Olivia. Although she has never met her aunt, due to a falling out between Leah's mother and her Aunt Olivia before Leah was born, the gift, a beautiful traveling case covered with red roses, inspires a reconciliation. Leah, her sister Ruth, their mother and their grandmother travel from rural Louisiana to suburban California for a visit that will change Leah and Ruth's view of the world forever. In California there are no Jim Crow laws; no drinking from separate water fountains, no eating at separate restaurants, no sitting at the back of the bus. Leah wonders why anyone would choose to live in Louisiana when they could live in California and feel free. Leah wishes she never had to return to Louisiana, segregation, and the blatant racism that exists in the south. When tragedy strikes and her wish comes true; she learns too late that you should always be careful what you wish for.

3. Critical Analysis (Including Cultural Markers)
Leah and Ruth's story opens in rural Louisiana during the 1950s when southern states used the Jim Crow laws to enforce segregation, perpetuate racism, and prevent African-Americans from achieving equality with whites. Careful to follow the rules aimed at maintaining the separation of the cultures; the girls' fear of accidentally crossing the line that keeps them in their place is palpable. In one telling encounter Leah and Ruth are walking with two young African-American boys, neighborhood friends and classmates Nathan and Micah, when two white men in a pickup truck drive past them; then stop and back up. The men call the children the "N" word and dare them to respond. "Nathan and Micah cowered, hunching their shoulders, the way colored boys had to when this kind of danger came around. Ruth and I looked straight down into the dust and we all kept walking. Fear walked with us. The man behind the wheel spat on the ground, laughed, and drove on...Micah stood up straight and whispered, "I woulda said somethin....Iwoulda but I don't wanna wind up hangin from no tree, burned to a crisp" (Woods, 21) The difference in the way of life when they arrive in California is eye-opening for Leah. "We drove past a movie theater but there was no colored entrance, and we passed shops and restaurants, where there were no Whites Only signs. I started to think about the word freedom" (Woods, 27).

Cultural markers are also evident in the descriptions and speech of the characters who, with a few exceptions, are African-American. Leah describes her Aunt Olivia as "the color of sweet praline (with) dark brown hair, pressed and perfect" (Woods, 27). Aunt Olivia's husband, Bill Chapel, remarks often and with pride about how nice it is to have "a house fulla beautiful colored women-folk" (Woods, 33). And though one has lived in Louisiana all her life under the thumb of Jim Crow and one has escaped to California and a life free from the harshest racism, both Leah and Ruth's mother and their Aunt Olivia are concerned that the girls use proper grammer, watch their manners, and keep their hair neat and pressed. The adults instill in the girls the importance of education and self-respect.

Food also plays an important part in Woods' description of life in an African-American family. Mealtimes include "collard greens, corn bread, every kind of gravy, red beans and rice, fried cabbage, catfish, bread pudding, oxtail soup, black-eyed peas and neck bones, grits, okra gumbo," (Woods, 36) and when money is tight; the occasional possum.

Leah and Ruth's story is a universal story of tragedy and triumph. The story of underdogs with the deck stacked against them who persevere against a system designed to make them fail. And through it all they maintain their culture and identity

4. Review Excerpts
Publishers Weekly: "Woods's moving first novel opens in sleepy Sulphur, La., in June 1953, when Leah receives a 10th birthday present from her estranged aunt in Los Angeles: a traveling case covered with red roses. The gift holds treasures the likes of which Leah has never seen: costume jewelry, a pink silk bed jacket ("like what rich white women wears b'fore bed at night," her grandmother tells Leah and her sister), pink satin slippers, nail polish, lipstick. A letter of apology from Leah's aunt to Leah's mother occasions a visit to L.A. with her mother, grandmother and younger sister, and Leah revels in the luxuries of her aunt's privileged world, a stark contrast to the subsistent lifestyle the child knows. Exposure to the freedom from segregation that exists south of the Mason-Dixon line also makes a dramatic impression on the heroine. Though the repetition of similar reflections occasionally slackens the pace of Woods's narrative, she creates some memorable characters, especially Leah, and probes historical events in a personal context that may open many readers' eyes. Ages 10-up."

School Library Journal: "Grade 4-6-Leah Hopper and her younger sister, Ruth, live in segregated rural Louisiana in the early 1950s. For her 10th birthday, the older girl receives a traveling case-a "red rose box"-from her mother's wealthy sister. Among other treasures, it contains train tickets for a family visit in Los Angeles. A long-lasting rift between Aunt Olivia and the children's mother is finally mended during the reunion. In L.A. there is no sign of the racial prejudice that the Hoppers are so accustomed to as a black family in the South, and the girls reluctantly return home. This is a bittersweet story with good descriptions of settings; a skillful use of figurative language; and well-realized, believable characters. Ruth is the embodiment of a sassy eight-year-old and the adults are genuine, loving, and supportive."

5. Connections
Reader's Advisory suggestions for those who enjoyed The Red Rose Box:
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Francie by Karen English
Heaven by Angela Johnson

Shoes From Grandpa by Mem Fox

A. Bibliography
Fox, Mem. 1989. Shoes From Grandpa. Sydney, Australia: Ashton Scholastic. ISBN0-531-05848-4

B. Plot Summary
It is late summer and Jessie's Grandpa has come for a barbeque. Astonished at how much Jessie has grown since the last time he saw her; he declares she will need new winter shoes that he will happily buy for her. So begins the purchase of a whole new wardrobe for Jessie; "socks from the local shops" from her dad, "a skirt that won't show the dirt" from her mom, even "mittens that are softer than kittens" from her uncle. Jessie loves them all and hates "to be mean" but what she really wants someone to buy her are "some jeans" which Grandpa obligingly adds to the mix.

C. Critical Analysis

The combination of Mem Fox's funny, rhyming, narrative and Patricia Mullins' torn-paper collage illustrations depicting Jessie's increasingly outrageous wardrobe additions, courtesy of her friends and family, will keep preschoolers engaged and laughing as Jessie deals with the univeral problem of what to do about unsuitable gifts. Originally published in Australia, Shoes From Grandpa could be set almost anywhere English is spoken. However, the author's use of the term shops rather than stores indicates the setting is outside the U.S. The author suggests reading Shoes From Grandpa with an Australian accent and pronouncing 'laugh' as 'larf' to make the most of the rhyming narrative.

D. Review excerpts

Publishers Weekly: "A lilting, cumulative text accompanies Mullins's vibrant torn-paper artwork in this apparel-buying spree. Ages 3-6."

School Library Journal: "PreSchool-Grade 2-- Jessie, an active girl of nine or so, is growing out of her clothes, and the members of her large and loving family get carried away in their eagerness to provide her with a new wardrobe. In this humorous suburban variation on "The House that Jack Built," Grandpa gets things started off with a pair of new shoes, Dad offers "socks from the local shops," and Mom buys "a skirt that won't show the dirt." As each of Jessie's relatives gets into the act, the rhythmic cumulative tale builds momentum. Brightly colored torn-paper collages fill appealing double-page illustrations portraying Jessie increasingly laden down with everyone else's idea of the perfect addition to her outfit. Either in story hour or reading on their own, youngsters will enjoy seeing Jessie's free spirit triumph over her family's overly enthusiastic good intentions."

E. Connections

Books for use in storytime with Shoes From Grandpa:

Grandpa's Teeth by Rod Clement

Ain't Nobody A Stranger to Me by Ann Grifalconi

Tiger on a Tree by Anushka Ravishankar

A. Bibliography
Ravishankar, Anushka. 1997. Tiger on a Tree. Chennai, India: Tara Publishing. ISBN 0-374-37555-0

B. Plot Summary
After swimming a wide river and chasing an antelope; an inquisitive tiger quickly climbs a tree to escape when the antelope charges. Soon a man with a net spies the tiger amongst the high branches and calls to his friends. The tiger is trapped as more men gather to ogle him. Astonished, excited, and a little afraid of the tiger that is stuck in a tree; the men soon begin discussing what to do about the unusual circumstances. "Get him! Net him! Tie him tight!" they shout. After they capture the tiger the men are at a loss as to what to do next. "Send him to the zoo? Stick him up with glue? Paint him an electric blue?" What will the men do with the tiger? And who is more afraid; the men or the tiger?

C. Critical Analysis
Ravishankar's simple, rhyming text emphasizes the story being told through the double-page-spread, award winning illustrations of Pulak Biswas. Done entirely in tiger-colored orange, white, and black the Indian setting of the book is emphasized by the ink-black men, some with bamboo wind instruments, some with drums. Dressed only in white cloths tied loosely at their waists, the orange sun blazing overhead, the excitement and astonishment at finding the tiger comes alive in the men's faces and the thick black words run up, down and over the pages as, fear showing plainly in his eyes, the tiger paces, looking for an escape route. Preschoolers will join in the excitement of the capture in this American Library Association Notable Book, and cheer when the men set the tiger free to swim back across the river to safety.

D. Review excerpts
School Library Journal: "PreSchool-Grade 2--A curious tiger swims across a river and roams the forest looking for adventure. Frightened by the cry of a small animal, he climbs a tree. A group of dhoti-garbed village men discovers him and decides to capture him. After placing a large net around the tree, they blow horns and bang drums to create a racket, eventually scaring the creature down. Now the men have a problem: What should they do with the animal? "Send him to the zoo?/Stick him up with glue?/Paint him an electric blue?" Finally, they decide to set him free. The appealing illustrations are naive, childlike, and dramatic. Biswas uses a limited palette of black, white, and orange to create vivid scenes. The faces of the human characters are filled with personality and expression, while the tiger's emotions are conveyed through his body language and eyes. The simple text curves playfully across the pages, adding to the sense of motion in the artwork. This tale from India can be paired with Helen Bannerman's The Story of Little Babaji."

Booklist: "PreS. First published in India in 1997 and an international prizewinner at the Bratislava Biennale of Illustrations, this very simple chanting story is perfect for reading aloud with young preschoolers. A tiger lopes along the shore until a deer suddenly scares him, rousing him to take shelter in a tree, where the villagers find him. They are scared of him ("Will he bite? He might!"), but they trap him in a net ("Get him! Net him! Tie him tight!"). Now what? Someone suggests they set the tiger free, and they agree: "Let him go!" The words in thick, black type are part of the action, and the thickly stroked illustrations, mostly black and white, have occasional splashes of orange: in the sun, on the tiger's back, and in the net that traps him. The comedic drama blends smoothly with the conservation message in deliciously scary sound words and pictures that will make this a favorite for sharing again and again."

E. Connections
Books to use in preschool storytime with Tiger on a Tree:
Excuse Me, Is This India by Anushka Ravishankar
The Road to Mumbai by Ruth Jeyaveeran