There's a Tiger in the Garden

February 5, 2018
Nora is bored, and when Grandma tells her that there’s a tiger in her garden—as well as “dragonflies the sizes of birds and plants that can swallow you up whole!”—the girl is both skeptical and annoyed. “I’m too old for silly games!” she says. But readers can see a tiger tail poking out from the foliage, and since there’s nothing else to do, Nora sallies forth. First-time author-illustrator Stewart portrays the garden with a Rousseaulike lushness and fantasy: dragonflies fill the sky with wings that look like stained-glassed windows, and among the flora are hungry-looking plants that resemble bright red lips with teeth. It may take readers a little while to warm to Nora, who initially seems more bratty than independent minded, but Stewart believably traces her thawing attitude in a way that shows how a bit of open-mindedness (and nudging) can lead to rewarding and unexpected adventures. And Nora more than meets her match in the sleek, unruffled tiger, who Grandma later admits might just be a ginger cat. “Are you real?” Nora asks. “I don’t know,” the tiger replies. “Are you?” Ages 4–7.